


Love Always

by LadyDae



Category: Cardcaptor Sakura
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Canon Compliant, Continued from Canon End, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-07-14
Updated: 2012-08-23
Packaged: 2017-11-09 22:27:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 31,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/459174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyDae/pseuds/LadyDae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With a new boyfriend and sexual tension level through the roof between her and her moon guardian, Sakura could do without anymore delusional magicians trying to take over the world again. But the Immortal Queen Tsubame isn't delusional. She's very confident she can make herself queen and she plans to use Sakura to do it by testing the boundaries and commitments she has to all her relationships and shedding a new light on the bright innocent perspective Sakura has on the world. All is fair in love and war, especially where world domination is concerned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Imortal Queen Tsubame

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: It seems to be fairly obvious to me, but just so no one comes across and pesters me I announce that I do not own Card Captor Sakura including characters, plots, stories, events, lines etc. that you may or may not recognize from the manga (which is what this story is mostly based from) of the anime (little minor stuff I borrowed). This will be the only disclaimer for the entire story. Thank you
> 
> Warnings: This story will eventually contain adult themes, sexual situations, some violence, and other things that may or may not offend the reader. These scenes may sometimes be graphic. I will not section off mature content and I will not tell you ahead of time in the said chapters where content takes place. Consider yourself sufficiently warned.
> 
> Read, enjoy, and review

**Chapter One**

**The Immortal Queen Tsubame**

“Interesting…”

Her two companions looked up at that. That was a word they hadn’t heard from their mistress in a while, not only the word, but the tone. It sounded like curiosity, wonder maybe. It was a sure sign that she had found something to do, a new endeavor for them to embark on. And they needed one. There was only so much to do once she made herself absolute monarch of not only the magical word, but the non-magical world too.

“What is it?” one of her companions asked, though neither he nor her other companion moved out the shadows of the room as she inspected the celestial like body in the most secret room of her palace. It took up half the room, swallowing up the walls, appearing to look like the starry night sky, but moving, rotating as the woman explored it.

She had only learned how to do it recently, after three centuries of perfecting her magic, she could manipulate time and space according to her will, not that she needed to or even wanted to. She was already queen.

To answer his question, she pointed to a particular star, a planet more than likely and said, “There’s a completely unconquered world here,” she said. “I want to go there.”

“Bored?” her other companion asked.

She nodded, continuing to inspect the world. “It will be in vain if there’s nothing there worth challenging, worth bringing order to.”

“It’ll be better than sitting around here all day and placating diplomats.”

“A man of action until the end love,” she said. The curl of her red lips were the only thing that gave away her amusement. It was hard to read any other facial cues with the white face paint she wore.

She smiled as something else caught her attention. “Now what’s this?”

“It would be easier to understand if you just told us what you were looking at Tsubame.”

Tsubame laughed in delight, like a child would when their birthday came or when they knew they were getting a new toy.

“This is going to be more interesting than I thought. A right challenge. I haven’t had one of those in a while…” Tsubame said.

“Where is this world we’re going to?”

Tsubame laughed again, as though the question were silly.

“Earth. Japan specifically.”

“Earth?”

“Japan?”

Both her companions exchanged a look before shrugging and following Tsubame to where she was standing in front of her celestial door, the door that allowed her to travel through time and space. It crackled with energy and then, they were gone.

**********

“Remember Sakura. Tomorrow, three o’clock.”

Sakura sighed. “You’d think after telling me this all week already, I’d know this.”

“I just want everything to be perfect. And that can’t be so without my top model present.”

Sakura laughed at her best friend’s antics.

“What?” Tomoyo said. “I can’t name my designs Sakura’s Closet, if Sakura isn’t part of the debut.”

“Don’t worry Tomoyo,” Sakura said as she walked backwards up the path to the front door of her house. “I understand. Tomorrow. Three o’clock.”

“Alright. See you later,” Tomoyo said getting in her limo and pulling off.

Sakura laughed as she went inside the house. She didn’t bother announcing she was home. Everyone who was in the house could sense that. Kero would come to greet her at the door if he wasn’t playing video games and Yue…

Sakura sighed at the thought. Whatever was she going to do with that man? A voice in the back of her head suggested a lot, none of them as innocent as many of her friends believed her to be. She mentally pushed the thoughts aside, but it was a hard feat. She sighed. Those were the things that happened when she was seventeen and her admittedly gorgeous moon guardian stayed in the house.

She went to the kitchen, pushing the thoughts aside for good as she prepared a simple dinner for herself and Kero. Not only was she exhausted, but neither did she have the time. Homework needed to be done, and she had wasted a lot of time over Tomoyo’s house. And there was no way she’d be getting any homework done the next day.

It had taken a lot of convincing on her friend’s part, but Sakura finally relented and agreed to be her model, just this once for the debut of her new fashion line, facilitated by her mother’s efforts.

“It’s a waste of talent for you to spend your time sewing all these outfits and coming up with all these designs for Sakura only,” said Sonomi one day when Tomoyo was having a photo shoot with Sakura.

And so began Sonomi’s efforts to officially debut Tomoyo’s designs to the world to sell. Sakura sighed. There was a lot of work involved. She’d never know how her mother did it, modeled that was. There was a certain way she had to walk, a certain way to stand, a certain way to look, a certain expression to wear, and even a way to eat (Sakura wouldn’t get on that program. She would eat what she wanted!). One thing was for sure, it wasn’t easy, and she wouldn’t willingly choose it as a profession.

Sakura began to roll her shoulders, a sure sign that someone was watching her. But there was no guessing as to who it was when she was in the house. Only one person could watch her like this. She continued to work though, ignoring the fact that her moon guardian was watching her. Sakura didn’t know why he did it, why he watched her so intently sometimes, but she had gotten used to it… Well scratch that. She knew part of the reason he watched her as he did, though if she asked him he would certainly deny that he did so.

Things had changed between the two of them. No longer was she the little girl that he had to protect and shield anymore, though he still did that. No. It wasn’t so much that the protecting and shielding her part had changed. Yue would always do that. It was his duty of course (she and Yue had conflicting definitions of what that duty consisted of), but it was the “little girl” part that had changed.

It only seemed natural that Yue should come to stay with her after he and Yukito had been given too separate bodies, thanks to Eriol’s efforts to fix that particular blunder in Clow’s predictions, that Yue and Yukito would only be two parts of a whole, an extension of each other. He would never tell her why it was a blunder, but the point was that Yue was a member of the household.

It had been easy at first to adjust. He was just her moon guardian. But then came puberty. Though Sakura had noticed that her body was beginning to change, she hadn’t noticed that he noticed it too, at least not until she came into her room one day after school where Yue and Kero happened to be and started to change. It wasn’t uncommon for her to change in front of the two and perhaps that had been part of the innocence from before puberty, an innocence she sometimes still retained. In any case she noticed Yue looking at her strangely and when she asked why, he rushed out the room, and Sakura swore she saw him blush.

She didn’t figure out why any time soon, only that Yue no longer stayed in the room when she got dressed. Then one day it occurred to her when she had insisted on tending to a wound that Yue had gained on his chest in some magical fight or another. She began cleaning it, unable to help but notice how different his body was from hers. The broader shoulders, the muscular arms, defined chest, and with startling clarity, it occurred to her why Yue had left the room that day. It was for the same reason she fought down a blush when she tended to his wound.

Then things began to make sense, not only about some of the things Yue did, but also the things she sometimes felt when she was around him, when he held her in his arms to protect her, or keep her close as they hid from the latest threat to her being. It felt safe, more comforting. She hadn’t understood it before, been able to put it into perspective, but that night she understood something that had never occurred to her before. Yue was a man, a beautiful one at that and she was a young girl, coming into her womanhood. That had been when she was fourteen.

It was hard to ignore that fact, even though she had managed to for that last three years. But it was a hard feat, especially when he watched her like this.

“Is something wrong?” she asked, turning around, hoping to catch him watching her. She didn’t. She never did in fact, even though she knew he had been. His gaze was to the side now and when she turned around, he cast her a sideways glance.

“You’re home late.”

“I know,” she said blushing a little, for reasons she wasn’t comfortable thinking about. “I was at Tomoyo’s house. I’m doing that modeling thing with her… remember?” she asked.

He nodded.

“Would you… Would you like to come?”

“No thank you,” Yue said to her.

She couldn’t say she hadn’t been expecting it. It was a hard feat to get Yue to come out the house during the day just for the sake of it. Still, it was disappointing.

She sighed when he left the room. She sensed it in the air, that sense of something else between them. It wasn’t always there, but when it was, it was hard for the two of them to be in the same room together alone. A certain magical charge in the air, though neither would ever admit it… Well, Sakura would have liked to, but she wasn’t certain how her moon guardian would react, how it would affect the relationship she had with him.

Sakura looked at the clock. She better get started on her homework and go to bed. She had a long day tomorrow.

**********

“Sakura… Sakura!”

Sakura jumped out her sleep at the sound of her name, looking around, a little discombobulated. She looked at her clock, to where the time said one o’clock, realizing that she must have fallen asleep doing her school work. She sighed. Sakura really needed to get this done…

A blanket fell off her shoulders and she looked down at it in surprise.

“You fell asleep. I didn’t think it would be wise to move you,” Yue said to her.

Sakura smiled gently, picking up the blanket. “Oh.”

With the charged atmosphere that had been present before now gone, the two could finally relax around each other. So Sakura did, turning on the lamp at her desk and beginning her homework again. Until Yue put a hand over hers and said, “You’re exhausted. Stop this.”

Sakura sighed. “Believe me, I’d like to. But I’ll be busy for most of tomorrow. I have to finish this.”

“Need help?”

Sakura nodded. She didn’t know when Yue had started helping her do homework. It was one of those times she had been too tired to do it after taking care of yet another threat to her magical being. She hadn’t seen him do it, but the next morning it was done in his neat scrawl, too neat really.

“Remember, I don’t write as neat as you do,” Sakura reminded.

He stopped halfway through writing a character before flipping the pencil in his hand over to erase it and then rewrite whatever he had started with less precision and caution than he normally would have done.

They were silent as they continued to work on her homework, Yue having what appeared to be an easier time than she was having. Then Sakura stopped, something occurring to her.

“Yue.”

He didn’t stop writing, only nodded his head a little to let her know he was listening.

“Did you call me earlier, to wake me up?” she added.

Yue stopped writing at that, though he didn’t look at her.

“No,” he replied.

Sakura frowned. “Odd. I could have sworn I heard someone say my name to wake me up.”

“It explains why you jumped,” Yue said. “But no one was in this room except Cerberus and I, and he’s been sleep.”

Sakura shrugged and went back to her work. It must have been your imagination.

“You aren’t concerned about it?” Yue asked her.

“Why? It must have been my imagination.”

Yue gave her a dry look, one Sakura had taken as a signal that something sarcastic or bluntly honest or both was about to come out his mouth. She wasn’t disappointed.

“This is you we’re talking about.”

He could have said it nicer, Sakura thought to herself. But he was right. It usually wasn’t just her imagination when she started hearing voices. Whether it was a good or bad thing though…

“I’ll worry about it if I hear it again or something happens,” Sakura said.

No sooner than the words had left her lips, Sakura and Yue looked out the window in time to see something-they weren’t sure what-explode. Whatever it was, though, practically reek of magic, powerful magic.

“Please don’t say I told you so,” Sakura said as she went to the window, setting her homework aside.

Yue huffed at the idea, no doubt thinking it would be childish of him to do so in a situation as serious as this.

“Kero! Kero! Wake up!” Sakura yelled taking out her staff. “We have to go!”

“Huh,” the plush toy creature with wing said sitting up. “What’s going on?”

Sakura rolled her eyes. Kero could sleep through anything.

“We have to go,” she said to him, already on the ledge of her window, ready to take off and investigate the magical disturbance.

**********

“Oh dear…” Tsubame said as she looked at her companion. “That wasn’t supposed to happen.

“That tone is never anything good,” her companion said as he stood. “You couldn’t have given us a less rocky landing.”

“That’s the least of our concerns,” Tsubame said turning to look for her second companion. “You’re rather… I think we have a problem.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” the tall male said, the hood of his cloak obscuring his features.

“Where’s Leo?”

The man looked around and seeing that Leo wasn’t there asked, “What happened to him?”

“I don’t know,” Tsubame said. “Something must have gone wrong. He must have gotten lost on the way. I bet he’s really annoyed with me right now,” she added with a laugh.

“This is nothing to laugh at Tsubame!” he snapped.

Tsubame turned to him, and then made her way over to him, putting a hand on his face under his cowl.

“You worry too much love,” she said. “I’ll figure it out.”

He sighed and said, “Stop it you. This is no time for-”

Both he and Tsubame frowned.

“Looks like someone’s coming to investigate,” Tsubame said and then looked around. It appeared they were in a park, what used to be a park anyway. Regardless, she smiled a little under her white mask. It brought back memories of her own childhood, the few good times she remembered of them anyway.

“Well our landing wasn’t exactly discreet,” the man said to her.

“I suppose not,” Tsubame admitted. “You get out of here. Go somewhere, and I’ll find you later.”

“Shouldn’t you come, at least until you know what’s going on?”

“Apparently whoever it is came expecting to find something. I shouldn’t disappoint them,” Tsubame said and pressed her lips against the man’s lightly before pulling away. “I’ll be fine.”

He huffed. “That’s what you always say,” he said, but otherwise didn’t argue as he walked into the forest to hide temporarily.

No sooner than they were out her sight did she sense them behind her, staring at her warily. She turned around and not one to be shy, boldly looked the girl, who she determined to be the master, in the eye.

Sakura felt the power radiating off the woman, but there was something odd about it. Like it had suddenly been restrained or locked. It was only Yue’s hand on her shoulder keeping her from going to the woman, whose face was painted like a geisha, brown hair pulled up into an elegant bun, a crystal comb with pink cherry blossoms attached to it holding the bun together at the top, red off shoulder silk kimono with gold sash looking like it belonged to royalty. In fact, she looked like royalty. She was beautiful.

She betrayed no emotion, though Sakura got the sense that she seemed rather curious about them.

Finally Sakura took in the destroyed park, pushing the woman’s beauty out her mind as she asked, “You did this?”

The woman looked around; the twitch of her lips betraying what might have been surprise.

“I suppose I did,” she finally said in a regal, but somewhat whimsical tone. “I hadn’t realized it. I promise it was an accident. I didn’t know my landing would cause such a commotion.”

Sakura looked at Yue and then Cerberus, neither sure how to take the woman.

“Landing?” Sakura asked.

“Oh yes!” the woman said. “I’m not from here, though I am from a world similar to it, but it’s boring right now. I’ve done everything I can do there and being ruler gets boring when there’s no rebellion to squash, no empires to conquer.”

Sakura’s eyes widened, Cerberus blinked, and even Yue raised an eyebrow. They had never, in all their encounters with power hungry sorcerers and mad magicians, heard someone talk about ruling or gaining power with as much casualty, and whimsicalness as this woman was, as though it had been easy.

“Who are you?” Yue finally asked.

“Oh! My apologies. I usually have better manners than that. I’m the Immortal Queen Tsubame. And I came here to take complete control of your world.”


	2. Naoki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "...A real sorceress doesn't need her guardians when she first comes to battle. She calls on them as a last resort. How long have you been using your magic? Six, maybe seven years... You're still just a baby. Let mother show you how it's done."

 

Dumbfounded might have been the only word that Sakura could think to describe how she was feeling. Utterly dumbfounded in fact. It was one thing to come here expecting some magical disturbance, someone wanting to steal her power, but another to encounter this woman, Queen Tsubame, who boldly and nonchalantly declared that she came to take over their world for no other reason, it appeared, beside the fact that she was bored on her own world, wherever that was.

Sakura responded the only way she could. “What?”

“I’m here to take control of your world,” Tsubame said again. “It appears no one has claimed it yet, not that it would matter anyhow. It would just make it more fun, more challenging.”

Sakura didn’t know whether to term Tsubame as arrogant or extremely overconfident. Either way, Tsubame didn’t seem to think that taking over the world would be that hard.

Tsubame continued to speak.

“You three are free to help me if you want. I’m going to need supporters, subjects. You know, begin a royal hierarchy.”

“Wait a minute! You can’t just come here and decide you want to take over. Where are you from anyway?” Cerberus snapped.

“Somewhere in the universe,” Tsubame said vaguely. “And who says I can’t take over. What authority do you have on this world? Do you come from one of the head magical families? Can you take me to the leader?”

“I…” Sakura was almost too stumped by the woman’s personality to answer. “No! I don’t come from one. But I know I speak for a lot of people when I say you can’t take over. I won’t allow it.”

Tsubame laughed. “You and what army little girl?”

“We could ask you the same,” Yue said dryly.

Tsubame looked at him, something flashing in her eyes. Then she turned back to Sakura.

“You’re one lone sorceress. That means you’re no threat to me.”

With that, Tsubame turned around and started to walk away.

Sakura opened and closed her mouth in shock. Tsubame had to be from another world. Not that Sakura thought she was that powerful, but most sorcerers who came to her with some sinister dark scheme knew to proceed with caution if they wanted to accomplish it with her around. And here this woman was walking away from her like she was of no consequence to her. That was new.

“Well don’t let her get away!” Cerberus shouted.

“Oh yeah!” Sakura said and threw a card into the air, using her staff to activate it. “WINDY! Restrain Tsubame so that she can’t get away!”

Tsubame stopped, looking back at the spirit that came out the card in mild curiosity. She didn’t do anything to try to stop it, to try to get away even, just looked at it as it came forth to restrain her… and then passed right through her.

Sakura gasped as WINDY returned to her, unable to restrain the woman.

“What happened?”

Tsubame laughed. “You have no hope of defeating me little girl. You still have to use your staff and a deck of cards to use your magic. You couldn’t even come to face me without your guardians at your side. A real sorceress doesn’t need her guardians when she first comes to battle. She calls on them as a last resort. How long have you been using your magic? Six, maybe seven years?”

“How…?” Sakura asked.

“You’re still just a baby,” Tsubame said. “Let mother show you how it’s done.”

Tsubame held her hand in front of her, obviously trying to call some type of magic to her. It wasn’t even a second before she frowned.

“That’s odd… It appears I’m unable to properly harness my magic in this world. Perhaps he was right? I’ll have to wait until I figure out what’s going on.”

Tsubame shrugged and as if it were a cue, the wind picked up with such a suddenness that it would have blown Sakura off her feet if Yue hadn’t caught her and held her to him.

As sudden as it had come, the wind went away. Tsubame was gone, but she had also returned the park to its original state. She, Yue, and Cerberus said anything for a moment, neither knowing what to say at this point.

“If that’s not being able to properly harness magic, I don’t want to see what properly harnessing her magic is,” Cerberus finally said.

But was Yue who said what they were all thinking, “I think we might be getting in over our head here. Perhaps you may need to call Eriol.”

Xxxxxxxxxxx

When Yue said she needed to call Eriol, it meant Sakura really needed to. Yue hated Eriol though he’d never say it, and anytime she suggested it when there was a magical threat, he always shot it down on the grounds that she could handle it. Whenever he said that, it was his way of saying he had the utmost confidence that she could handle something on her own and that’s always how it happened. For him to tell her to call the young English boy meant that Yue thought that this might be more than Sakura could handle, even with the help of her guardians.

She called him late the night before, but he didn’t answer. Sakura wished he had, because it was likely she wouldn’t be able to get to him until Monday.

“Sakura! Smile for goodness sake!”

Sakura blinked out her stupor, remembering the cameras surrounding her. She definitely wouldn’t be able to talk to Eriol until Monday. Despite her late night, Sakura got to the show early and as soon as she walked through the door it was straight to makeup, hair dressing, and tailoring. The show was due to start soon, but before that, she had to take still shots in front of a white background. Despite her troubles and the fact that she really didn’t want to do this, she put up a cheerful façade and smiled shyly for the cameras. The shyness wasn’t faked. She really was uncomfortable with all the attention.

“That’s a great look Sakura! Keep it up,” Tomoyo said.

It wasn’t hard, and Sakura was grateful when her time was up and the other models, the real professional models, had to do their shots.

“I can’t take this,” she said to Tomoyo who was doing a million different things at once and probably half paying attention.

“Oh no!” Tomoyo said. “You did great Sakura. I promise we’ll talk later about it though.”

Sakura nodded, understanding that her friend was busy. So she went to practice her walk. She had been struggling with it for a while now, and despite the best efforts of all the other models that helped her, she still couldn’t quite get it. The shoes didn’t help either. It took her weeks to learn how to walk normally in them.

“Hoe!” she cried to herself, cheeks turning red at the thought of messing up in front of all the people that would be watching. “I hate this!”

Someone chuckled at her antics, and Sakura jumped, unaware that anyone had been watching.

“You’re too cute to be shy,” a smooth masculine voice said coming into her view.

Sakura looked up at him. A man who was about a foot taller than her (maybe more since her heels gave her a little height), with long black hair worn loosely down his back, and a short fringe stood in front of her, a smile on his face. The top buttons of his white button shirt was open giving her peak of his no doubt muscular chest. The shirt remained untucked from his black slacks.

Sakura blushed. He was certainly handsome, matching the warm aura she sensed from him.

“I… Sorry.”

“What are you sorry for?” he asked her and then continued, “Don’t be shy. Keep practicing.”

Sakura hesitated, but then decided it wouldn’t hurt to have a small audience. Aware of his eyes on her, she started her walk again and almost tripped halfway. He chuckled again and went over to steady her.

“Be careful. We wouldn’t want you hurt right before the show,” he said.

Sakura nodded, trying to stop the heat that was rushing to her face.

“Now try again,” he said and placed a hand on her back. “Stand up straight.”

Sakura tensed at his touch on her back. He laughed.

“Relax,” he said running his hand up and down her back. “Don’t try so hard. Let it be your natural stride, just more refined. Go on.”

Sakura began slowly, trying not to be distracted by the hand on her back.

“That’s it. Now point your feet a little more and go faster. It’ll help make it sound like you’re stomping, even though you’re not,” he said removing his hand.

Sakura kept going and then stopped. “Oh! That does feel better, less awkward.”

“See?” he asked. “I knew you could do it. Just stop thinking about it so much.”

He looked at her, but Sakura couldn’t quite meet his eyes.

“What’s your name?”

“Sakura.”

“Cherry blossom,” he said and then touched her face where the pink tinge of her blush was present. “Fitting. I’m Naoki.”

Sakura was sure she was going to be red permanently.

“Now Naoki. Isn’t she a bit young for you?”

One of the models was behind them, chocolate hair cascading down her back. Like Sakura, she wasn’t as tall as the other models, even with the high heels she was wearing, but she certainly looked more confident.

“Oh,” Sakura said. “Are you his girlfriend?”

She laughed. “Naoki’s too loyal to betray his love. That’s what his name means you know? Nao, honest, ki, tree. He’s an honest man and unyielding like a firmly rooted tree. He’d be a good catch."

Naoki gave the woman a dry look and then looked back at an embarrassed Sakura.

“Just stop it Misa. You’re making her blush again, and she was just starting to warm up to me,” Naoki said.

“It might help if you took your hand off her face,” Misa said playfully chiding Naoki.

Naoki looked at where his hand still was and then removed it.

“Sorry,” he said to her.

“No,” Sakura said quickly, a little too quickly. “It’s okay.”

Misa raised her eyebrows, smiling a little. “Well would you look at that? I think she likes you.”

“Misa!”

“No… that’s not it!”

Misa laughed. “I’m just joking, but seriously. Don’t let that young face fool you. He’s too old for you. What are you? Seventeen? Naoki’s ancient! He’s twenty-nine!”

“It’s not that!” Sakura said quickly and then realizing she sounded desperate added more slowly, “I mean my mom was younger than my dad. So it wouldn’t really matter to me.”

“Then the two of you should go out,” Misa suggested.

Naoki glared at Misa. “Stop it.”

Misa laughed again but said, “Fine. I was just playing. Come on Sakura. We have to get ready. The show’s about to start.”

Misa didn’t wait for Sakura though, only continued on her way.

“Sorry about her,” Naoki said sighing. “She’s like that. A real tease. We’re childhood friends and also the reason I know so much about all this, modeling I mean.”

“Oh,” Sakura said and then added, “I didn’t mind. It was okay. She wasn’t that bad.”

“But she was right,” Naoki said.

“About what?”

“We should go out sometime.”

Sakura looked at Naoki in shock. Was he serious? Was this man who she had known all of fifteen minutes asking her out? She couldn’t believe it.

“You want to go out with me?” she asked. “Seriously?”

He laughed and gently touched her nose. “You’re so cute,” he said and then added, “Seriously. That is if you don’t mind going out with an old man like me.”

“Of course not! It’s not that. Just…”

Damn it! Sakura thought to herself. This was so unexpected she didn’t know how to deal with it. When was the last time anyone had asked her out?

“I understand. Tell you what,” Naoki said taking her phone from a hidden pocket in the outfit she was wearing.  He proceeded to program his number into her phone. “Think about it and when you decide, call me.”

He placed the phone back in her pocket and began to walk away. Sakura blinked. Had that really just happened?

“Wait!” she said when she blinked out of her stupor, before he could get too far. “Don’t you want my number?”

Naoki’s own phone vibrated in his hand and he held it up for her to see, saying, “Got it.”

Sakura stared after him, even when she could no longer see him, in disbelief that this had just happened. She looked in her phone to look at the new entry under Naoki’s name.

“Wow…” was all she could say. Wow indeed.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tomoyo squealed over the phone when Sakura told her.

_“And you didn’t say yes!” Tomoyo yelled._

“He told me to think about it. I have his number,” Sakura replied later that night.

_“Still! I would have jumped on that so fast he wouldn’t have had the chance to finish asking!” Tomoyo said._

“I know you would have,” Sakura said dryly. “And I wanted to, but…”

_“What’s stopping you? You haven’t had a steady boyfriend in years.”_

“Yue and Kero all my boyfriends and usually, nine times out of ten, they’re right,” Sakura said dryly. “And they’ll both probably throw a fit if I go out with someone I don’t even know from school. He’s practically a stranger…”

_“When has that ever stopped you?” Tomoyo asked dryly._

So maybe Sakura wasn’t telling the complete truth, but it was close enough.

Sakura heard her best friend sigh over the receiver and then say, _“Well invite him to the house. Yue and Kero will be there. Just don’t tell him they’re there. That way you can gauge him and you’ll be safe.”_

Sakura hadn’t thought of that one. But not only could she gauge Naoki’s honesty and intentions, but see Yue’s reaction to her bringing someone who may potentially become a boyfriend into the house because the truth was that though Kero rolled his eyes anytime she brought a new guy over, it wasn’t because she didn’t approve. It was because he thought she was, and she quoted, “a clueless idiot for going out with random guys because she was able to sort out her feelings for someone else.” Yue on the other hand, while not the jealous type, had no qualms about telling her what he really thought of her dates or even saying it to their faces. He had definitely scared more than a few potential boyfriends away.

“That’s a good idea,” Sakura finally said.

_“Of course it is Sakura! Now why are you still on the phone with me! Call Naoki!”_

With that, Tomoyo hung up on Sakura, leaving Sakura with no excuse not to call Naoki now. She sighed, playing with her phone some as she tried to come to a decision.

“You know this would be much less drama and so much easier if you stopped trying to be considerate of Yue’s feelings and just came out and told him you liked him. Simple as that and everyone will be happier for it. And I can stop being forced to mediate your arguments.”

Sakura jumped. She hadn’t even known Kero was awake.

“Kero! You scared me.”

“Sure,” Kero said dryly and then said. “You’re not really going to call that guy you met today, are you?”

“I think I might…” Sakura muttered as she summoned the _Sakura book_ from her desk and to her hands. She opened it and placed her hand over the deck, taking comfort in their warmth.

“What do you all think?”

As usual, if the cards thought it was something that would make her happy, they wanted her to go for it, so Sakura wasn’t shocked to sense their warm reception of the idea.

“Well they seem to like the idea.”

Kero shook his head and while normally he rather not interfere with matters of Sakura’s personal life, he couldn’t help adding to himself, “What was fate thinking making the two most stubborn people on the planet attracted to each other? At this rate, it would take the end of the world to get those two matched up, healthily might I add.”

“What was that Kero?” Sakura asked as she looked for Naoki’s number in her phone.

Kero sighed. Why did he get the feeling this was just the beginning?

“Nothing,” he said. “Do whatever you want Sakura.”


	3. Lunch Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A seventeen year old just didn't have random friends that were twelve years her senior. To allow something like that meant that she might be interested in something more than a friendship and truthfully, she was beginning to.

**Chapter Three  
Lunch Date  
**

"Yue! Kero!" Sakura yelled as she bustled around trying to get ready for her lunch date.

When she called to tell him, Naoki said he hadn't been expecting her to call so early, and that if she had been so eager, she could have saved herself the trouble and gone out with him after the show. She was glad that he couldn't see her blush and when he finally stopped teasing her, she explained that perhaps he should come to the house for lunch first.

He hadn't been opposed and so that left Sakura to herself to get the house ready for him the next Sunday. She was more excited than she thought she'd be at the prospect of him coming to the house. If she were being honest with herself, she liked him more than she was willing to let on.

Yue and Kero appeared in the doorway, watching her set up tea and lunch at the small table.

"I'm having company over in a few minutes," she said. "Do you mind staying upstairs while he's here?"

"He?" Yue asked.

"Yes," Sakura said. "Naoki. I met him at the fashion show last week. He asked me out, but since I don't know him that well, I invited him to the house."

"And we're your back up just in case he turns out to be a nut," Kero said dryly.

Sakura laughed a little but said, "That's kind of the idea."

Yue sighed. "We wouldn't have left you here alone with him anyway. We'll be upstairs."

He left the room, and Sakura looked at Kero, who shrugged and followed his brother. It was hard for Sakura to tell what was going through Yue's head sometimes. Sometimes a curt dismissal as the one he had just showed meant he really didn't care and other times, it was his way of trying to hide his annoyance.

Sakura sighed. Maybe she shouldn't go through with this. Maybe it wasn't too late to call Naoki and…

The sound of the doorbell ringing dismissed any idea Sakura had of cancelling this. He was here now and she wouldn't turn him away. So she went to answer the door. When she opened it, Naoki was there to greet her, holding a small angel plush toy.

She smiled as he handed it to her.

"How sweet… You could have just gotten flowers like everyone else," she said.

Naoki shrugged as she let him inside.

"I started to, but I walked by and had a feeling you might like it more," he said to her. "Do you?"

"Don't tell anyone, but I have a whole collection of plush toys hidden away in my closet. My friends would never stop teasing me if they found out."

"We're all allowed to keep a hobby or two that reminds us of easier, more carefree times. I'm sure you're not alone," he said to her.

Sakura smiled as she led him to where they were sitting and gestured for him to have a seat on the couch.

"I'm glad someone thinks that," she said. "My brother and Yue find it to be a little ridiculous."

"Your brother? Is he here?" Naoki asked.

Sakura shook her head. "My brother moved out years ago. And trust me. You don't want him to be here. He might not be so nice to you."

"Protective?"

"Very."

"Understandable. I feel the same way about Misa sometimes."

"Only sometimes?" Sakura asked pouring him tea.

"Misa and I have a love-hate relationship you can say," Naoki admitted

Sakura rolled her eyes and said dryly, "Sounds like Yue and me."

"Yue?"

"My guardian. He can be a little frustrating sometimes, but he's there when it counts," Sakura said smiling fondly at the thought of her moon guardian.

"What about your parents?"

Sakura's smile twitched, threatening to disappear completely.

"They're not here anymore. My mother passed when I was three and my dad last year. It was very sudden," Sakura said.

"An accident?" Naoki asked.

Sakura shook her head. "No. He just wanted to be with my mother."

And it was true. Sakura couldn't give Naoki the details, but after she had changed all the cards and spilt the reincarnation of Clow Reed, unlocking the magic her father possessed he began to see her mother. It was fine at first. He was happier, but slowly it turned bittersweet. Her mother was still dead and he was alive. They were still separated by that barrier and since her mother couldn't return to life, her father decided he would follow her to the afterlife.

It used to make Sakura jealous. She was afraid of ghosts, but she would have liked to see her mother. However, Sakura decided after her father died she was glad. It would have only made the pain of not having her there worse.

"A frown doesn't suit you," Naoki said tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "You seem to be getting along fine from it, so don't be sad."

"Oh," Sakura said blinking. "I'm not."

"So you live by yourself?"

"No. Yue and Kero stay here."

"Kero?" Naoki asked

Sakura cringed inwardly. Kero's presence was so normal to her that sometimes she forgot no one else could actually meet him, unless she wanted them to figure out she could use magic.

"He's… he's my cat. He's here, but he doesn't really like people and he's really lazy. He mostly lies around and eats all day," Sakura replied. It wasn't a complete lie.

"Where's Yue now?"

"Um… He's gone most of the day, though to be honest I don't think you'd want to meet him. He can be a little grumpy."

Naoki laughed. "It must be lonely then, being in a big empty house most of the time then."

Sakura shrugged. "Sometimes. My brother thought we should sell it and I'd move in with him and his boyfriend, but I couldn't bring myself to part with it."

Naoki took a cookie, mindful of the ones with a lot of frosting and seeming to favor the ones with nothing on it, Sakura observed. Then he said, "Then I'll have to come around more, just to make sure you're not lonely in this empty house all day, if you let me."

Sakura blushed. She could tell he didn't mean anything by it. Her magic allowed her to gauge that. But a seventeen year old just didn't have random friends that were twelve years her senior. To allow something like that meant that she might be interested in something more than a friendship and truthfully, she was beginning to. There was something about Naoki, a certain sincerity and eagerness to get to know her that hadn't been present in any of her previous attempts at dating. She really liked him; certainly enough that it took her mind off Yue and no one had been able to do that in a while.

"I think… I think I might like that."

* * *

The afternoon flew by quickly and soon Naoki had to leave, but he promised to keep in touch, specifically saying, "I'll call you this time," and kissing her on the cheek.

Sakura leaned on the door and resisted the urge to squeal, before running upstairs and dashing into her room to get her phone.

"Kero, where's my phone?" Sakura asked.

He shrugged. "Yue threw it somewhere the fourth time Tomoyo called."

"Yue!" Sakura called. "Where'd you throw my phone?"

Yue came into the room, seeing her bustling around the room looking for her phone. Seeing the urgent and excited way she was looking for it, he said, "I take it you enjoyed yourself."

Sakura stopped looking for her phone for a moment and looked at him.

"I… yes," she said. "He wants to go out on a real date next time. He said he'll call me."

"That's nice," Yue said.

Sakura began to look for her phone again, but then stopped, looking at Yue and asking, "What do you think?"

Yue looked at her from where he was staring out the window. "Think about what?"

"Naoki. I know you peaked in on us once or twice. I saw you. Do you think if he asks, I should go out with him?"

Anyone who didn't know the entire situation would think that Sakura was simple looking for approval from the one of the male figures she trusted the most in her life, but Yue, Sakura, and Kero knew better. It was a test. If Yue showed any sign that he didn't want her to, any sign that her doing this was bothering him in any way whether it was hurt or jealously or a sign that he had the same feelings toward her that she did, no matter how unsure, she'd stop her relationship with Naoki before it began.

"What does it matter what I think about you dating a thirty year old?" Yue muttered.

"And what are you? Knocking on four hundred?" Sakura asked dryly. It was an old game for Sakura, when she was bored, to guess how old her moon guardian really was. He wouldn't tell her, but that never stopped her from trying. It was too fun to mess with him sometimes.

"I'm not _that_ old," Yue said and then added, "Besides, my age has nothing to do with this."

"I think it does."

Yue broke eye contact with her again and said, "He seemed nice enough. Do you like him?"

Sakura blushed, suddenly very interested in the threads of her comforter.

"Yes," she replied.

"Then do as you please. Your phone's in there with that ridiculous stuffed toy collection of yours," Yue said.

Sakura frowned, muttering to herself that Naoki didn't think it was ridiculous as she reached into the box and grabbed her phone, seeing that she had seven missed calls from Tomoyo. She started out the room, stopping in front of Yue before she completely left the room.

"You really think I should?"

"If that's what you want."

She nodded, trying to hide how much his indifference on the entire matter bothered her, and left the room.

Yue went back to staring absently out the window, and after silently observing his brother for a while Kero rolled his eyes and said a silent prayer of thanks to whoever might be listening for the fact that he didn't have to deal with this, that thankfully, he wasn't created to look or be human because, and he hated saying it, humans were just too complicated for him to deal with sometimes.

* * *

He was hoping that she'd be asleep when he got home, but as always there she was waiting on him. At some point she had gotten her face paint and kimono on. He couldn't help but frown though. He liked her better without it.

"Why do you have that on?" he asked.

"Habit, I suppose. Sometimes looking like a queen makes me think like one," she said and then added, "You're back later than you told me you would, Naoki."

Naoki cast a sideways glance at Tsubame before sighing and coming to sit with her.

"You have a problem with that?"

Tsubame smiled, though her expression betrayed no real emotion. "Not really. But you must really like the card mistress to be wasting your time with her."

"She's not a waste of time. Besides, you said it yourself. She's of no consequence to you or do I have to have your permission to have a life on another world?"

Tsubame looked at him for a long time and then said, "You got a little defensive there love. Do you mean to say that someone's really captured the heart of my oldest and closest companion? How did this happen?"

"Well, she's not you for starters," Naoki said dryly.

Tsubame laughed. "Of course she's not. And don't act like that Naoki. I know you love me."

"Most of the time," Naoki said .

"All of the time," Tsubame corrected as she laughed. "You've proven that. But you can love someone and dislike them at the same time."

Naoki shrugged, not feeling up to arguing with Tsubame about that one. Instead he said, "So does it make you jealous, that I'm interested in someone else?"

Tsubame turned her attention back to the book in her lap.

"Not at all," she said.

"Why not?"

Tsubame looked at him, a fond, knowing look on her face.

"Because love, you always come back," she said and then sighed. "In any case, I figured out why my powers don't work properly and where Leo went."

"Took you long enough. I hate not being stuck like this."

"I know. But I don't know the rules of this type of travel, so I had to study, look for information and rumors. It was fun, not knowing why something is happening for once and having to figure it out. I haven't done that in a while," Tsubame said.

"The problem," Naoki said impatiently.

"Oh yes," Tsubame said. "According to what I've collected, I had to pay a price to get here."

"A price?" Naoki asked. "I thought you-"

"I did," Tsubame muttered. "But even I have to follow certain rules and it seems my collector took advantage of that with the loss of my full power by keeping Leo and some other things…"

"Not following Tsubame."

"From what I'm guessing, the suppression of my magic is the universe's way of keeping balance since I've essentially tipped the scales a little. Actually, I'm beginning to think it's a failsafe for people like me."

"You guess?" Naoki asked.

Tsubame nodded. "I was never the expert when it came to magical theory and you know it. I'm just going to have to play this one by ear and figure out how to get my powers back as I go. Until then, I have to do this the old fashion way."

Naoki sighed. Why was he not at all surprised? Still, it didn't mean he was any less frustrated. "So that means we're all stuck like this until you can figure it out?"

"Well, at least that means you can spend some time with your little card mistress. Perhaps you may get her to see things our way. She may be of no consequence right now in the sense that she can't stop me, but I'm going to need her," Tsubame admitted.

Naoki supposed he'd do what he could, but he doubted it, and when he said as much to Tsubame she tilted her head and asked, "Why not?"

"Because she loves her moon guardian. I can hear it in the way she talks about it."

"Kind of like you and I then?" Tsubame asked. "You're right… We'll have to treat that situation with caution… Or maybe not. I think we can use that to our advantage."

"What do you mean we?"

Tsubame smiled, eyebrows raising in more amusement than surprise. "Oh you really like this girl. Maybe I should be jealous. In any case, relax. You can have your fling with her, but remember where your loyalties lie and if you can't get her to accept those loyalties, I'll be forced to play my hand. Understand?"

"Yes _master_."

Tsubame stood up, setting her book down, and went to sit on Naoki's lap. She wrapped her arms around his chest and leaned her head on him.

"Now don't act like that. I just want you to be happy and if Sakura does that, then I want to help make sure you'll have her," she said. "Are we okay now?"

"When have we ever been okay, Tsubame?" Naoki asked.

"Exactly," Tsubame said.

Naoki laughed lightly at that.

"See? You can't stay mad at me for long," Tsubame said patting him on the chest. "In any case, until my powers are back completely, I'll have to make due."

Tsubame then reached into her sleeves to take out two red and gold iron fans.

Naoki frowned. He hadn't seen it in decades, but usually when Tsubame had to resort to using something to channel her magic, her staff was her first option.

"Where's your staff?"

Tsubame sighed. "I told you. I lost Leo and some other things. And I have to admit I've always felt a little naked without it since I always like to keep it close to my heart. Call me sentimental if you want, but it's the truth."

"I've always thought you were sentimental. It's the only reason you keep us around," Naoki said referring to himself and Leo.

"I could never let go of you and Leo. You both know that," Tsubame said playing with the set of fans. "I've never really liked these things. Fans were always Miyuki's weapon of choice. But even though they don't channel my magic like the staff the rare times I use it, they'll do."

Tsubame hummed at the warmth she felt from then. It felt nothing like her staff though, the staff she hadn't used in years, but being forced to use another magical item to channel her magic made her miss it.

"I'm leaving you for a while."

"To do what?"

"Do things the old fashioned way of course."

* * *


	4. Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'd like my future with more of you in it, if you'd allow me."

**Chapter Four  
Future  
**

"Have you ever thought about your future?"

The question took Sakura by surprise. Then again, Naoki seemed to know just what to do to surprise her, in good ways of course. He had called her as promised and immediately went about asking her to go out with him Saturday evening. She happily agreed to it, and seeing it as a momentous occasion, Tomoyo made her way over to help her get ready.

It was just a casual date, nothing too fancy or expensive. Sakura didn't like that stuff anyway. It was too artificial for her. Naoki seemed to have figured that out too. So instead of a fancy dinner at a fancy restaurant, they had a casual evening picnic in the park. When she had first opened the basket, she was wowed by the fact that he seemed to have been able to figure out what she generally liked and when she asked how, he told her he had been observing at her house. It was during their walk when they had been casually conversing about nothing at all that Naoki asked his sudden question.

It took a while for her to answer because honestly, she never gave it much thought, not seriously anyway. She knew what was expected of her, but other than that…

"I don't know. I never thought much about it really."

"Oh?"

Sakura nodded.

"Why not?"

Magic was one of the reasons, Sakura thought to herself. That had changed her perspective on everything. But she couldn't tell Naoki that.

"I don't know. I use to want to go to the Olympics since I was so athletic when I was younger."

"What happened to that?"

"Life happened. I got distracted and kind of forgot about it," Sakura said and then sighed. "Too late now though."

"I think you could still do it, if you wanted to."

Sakura shrugged. "Maybe. But there's really no need for me to. Someway, somehow, I always find myself taken care of by people. So it's no big deal."

Naoki shook his head. "I didn't mean for money. I mean something to do just because you want to do it or just because you can do it."

"That's true."

"Well what do you like to do? Model?"

Sakura laughed. "I just did that for Tomoyo. I don't like all the attention. Besides, I'm not tall enough to be a model."

"That never stopped Misa," Naoki said wryly. "You two are around the same height."

"But Misa takes command of the catwalk when she walks," Sakura said remembering seeing the woman come down the walk. "And she has the model look."

"You do too," Naoki said putting a hand on her back. "Grow your hair out a little and…"

Sakura laughed. "Long hair is too much trouble."

"I think it would look good on you though."

Sakura hoped she didn't look as uncomfortable as she was certainly feeling. She was almost certain he was saying it in an as a matter of fact way, but the matter was that he still said it, with his hand still resting on her back.

"Enough about me," she said trying to hide her discomfort. "What about you? What do you do?"

"Manage Misa's life."

"Your life can't possible just revolve around Misa," Sakura said dryly.

"You asked what I did. And it is what I do. My career usually revolves around hers," Naoki admitted.

"Then maybe I need to rephrase that," Sakura replied. "What do you like to do?"

Naoki shrugged. "Probably a tossup between playing piano and drawing portraits. It's actually hard to say when I picked up those two hobbies though, and I'm not really sure which one I picked up first."

"Then that's what we'll do next time," Sakura decided.

"Do what?"

"Next time, we'll come here and you'll draw a portrait of me! I always wanted a portrait of myself done. Tomoyo-she's my best friend by the way-is always filming me, but that a portrait be new. That is if I can sit still long enough," Sakura added.

"You'd like there to be a next time?"

Sakura blushed, realizing what she had said and quickly amended, "That is if you want there to be. I wasn't trying to be pushy or anything. Just…"

"Sakura."

The way he said her name more than the fact that he did so was enough to stop her rambling. She liked the way he said her name. He said it gently, like she might break if he said it too harshly. Not many people said her name like that. In fact, only…

"You know what I think about my future right now?" Naoki asked cutting off her thoughts.

"What?"

"I'd like my future with more of you in it, if you'd allow me."

Sakura had never felt like this. How could someone make her feel so giggly and tingly inside? She started to answer him when he put a finger on her chin to tilt her head so that she was looking up at him, and then pressed his lips gently against hers.

Sakura was surprised at first and then realizing she liked the feeling, the chemistry that was between them, kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck. Naoki then wrapped his arms around her waist, and Sakura felt like she was floating, not realizing that it might be due to the fact that Naoki had literally lifted her off her feet. She wasn't really aware of anything really, just consumed in the moment until she felt Naoki's hand slip under the back of her shirt.

She gasped at the touch and then pulled away and not realizing she wasn't on her own two feet anymore almost fell, but Naoki caught her.

"I'm sorry. I just… That took me by surprise is all."

He pulled her to him in a warm, gentle embrace.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I guess I just got a little carried away. I'm not trying to rush you into anything. We can take this as slow as you want," he whispered in her hair.

Sakura smiled putting her hands on his chest, enjoying the warmth his embrace provided her with.

"Naoki."

"Yes."

Sakura inhaled his scent. He smelled like lavender, not like an artificial perfume she might buy in a store, but a musky flowery scent that made her aware of his masculinity.

Finally she said, "I think I'd a future with more of you in it too."

* * *

Kero couldn't remember the last time Sakura had stayed out this late and so a little concerned, he was waiting for her to come back, looking out for her out the window. He saw her coming down the sidewalk, appearing to be laughing and trying to push Naoki away at the same time. He looked at the latch on the window. If he opened it, he'd be able to hear what they were saying as they approached.

Curiosity getting the best of him, Kero undid the latch and then slid the window open just a little to hear what they were saying.

"What are you doing?" Yue asked him from where he was on the floor.

"Being the ever dutiful guardian," Kero replied.

"More like being nosy is what," Yue said getting up and closing the window back.

"Spoil sport," Kero muttered though he continued to look out the window. He whistled a little and then said, "Looks like this might be serious."

"What makes you say that?" Yue asked.

Kero pointed out the window, and Yue knelt down beside him to look. It was Sakura and Naoki. They were in front of the house and locked in what was no doubt a passionate embrace and kiss.

Yue's blue eyes, darkened into a steely gray. "He should keep his hands to himself. She's still just a child."

Kero rolled his eyes. "You're just jealous that you're not the one down there with your hands all over her."

"Don't be ridiculous."

Kero sighed. Yue and his ego… But it wasn't just Yue. Sakura liked to talk about how stubborn Yue could be, but she needed to look in the mirror. She was just as bad and when two people like that were interested in each other, it could only mean complications. Sakura going out with Naoki was one of them.

Sakura was the one to pull away first and giggled when Naoki tried to kiss her again, but she wouldn't let him. Naoki then let her go and tapped her nose before kissing her on the cheek this time. He watched Sakura get to the front door and then left.

"Think we should go down and greet her?" Kero asked.

Yue only crossed his arms, trying to hide his annoyance.

"She'll be up soon enough."

Sakura came up a few seconds later, in a daze and holding her cheeks. She sat on her bed, apparently unaware of Kero and Yue sitting by the window. She sighed and then giggled.

"I'm guessing you had a good time," Yue asked.

If Sakura had been paying attention, she would have noticed the icy tone in which Yue spoke. But alas, she was too caught up in her own dream world to notice.

"Naoki's so sweet," she sighed. "He took me to the park and we had dinner and then we took a walk. Then he said he's like a future with me in it. But he's so understanding. He agreed we can take our relationship as slow as I want." Sakura giggled again. "I think I may have a new boyfriend!"

Before anyone could reply to it, Sakura's phone suddenly rang. And it was lucky it did too, for Yue had about had it with her giggles and talking about Naoki, ready to bring her back down to earth with a scathing comment.

"Yes?" Sakura said.

" _Hello Sakura. Sorry it took so long to get back to you. You called?"_

"Oh… Oh yeah," Sakura replied.

Tsubame hadn't showed her face again since their first meeting nearly two weeks ago. So, Sakura had almost forgotten about her encounter with the woman. When she told Eriol as much, he frowned.

" _There's a smart one."_

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked putting the phone on speaker so that Kero and Yue could hear too.

" _Obviously she knows it'll work out better if she starts underground, away from noticeable eyes. Not that she needs to. Didn't you say your attack didn't work on her?"_

"Yes. And it was so weird to. She seemed so confident that she could accomplish what she wanted without much trouble. In fact, it seemed like she wanted a challenge. She said her world had gotten boring.

" _Did she say what her world was?"_

"She just said somewhere in the universe."

Eriol was silent, not generally a good sign and then he said, _"So the question is what this world is. But according to you she said something about not being able to properly harness her magic. That means she'll be looking for a way to do that."_

"Then how would she do that?" Sakura asked.

" _I'll have to find out. Not only have I never heard of her, but I've never heard of anything like this happening in my memories or in Clow's…"_

"So what do we do?"

" _There's nothing you can do. Not until you know what her plan is and not until she shows back up again."_

"In other words, we have to wait for her to make a move."

" _Roughly."_

Sakura sighed, thanking Eriol all the same before hanging up the phone.

"Well that was a lot of help. He's about as clueless as we are," she said.

"Maybe more if you think about it," Yue added causing Kero and Sakura to look at him.

"How so?" they both asked.

"Is it just me or do you get the feeling we've met Tsubame before?"

"Met Tsubame?" Sakura asked biting her lip as she looked in her lap. "Now that you mention it, her aura felt similar to one I've seen before, but that could virtually be anyone. I don't make a habit of committing every magician's aura to memory unless I feel I need to."

"I have to admit I felt like I met her before, but then again, it seems like that may just be part of her personality. She asked us to help her," Kero reminded.

"It's just a little strange is all," Yue pointed out.

It was strange, Sakura thought to herself the next day as she tried to finish her homework, but she really wasn't able to focus on it, not when the picture of WINDY harmlessly passing right through Tsubame kept replaying in her mind. Sakura sighed, trying to think of something else instead and her date with Naoki came to mind. His openness surprised her. No subject was off limits with him, even when she asked about his own family to which he replied that sometimes they more like business partners than family because of certain events that were beyond anyone's direct control. Despite the fact that he had said it so casual, Sakura apologized for asking about what had to be a touchy subject, but Naoki shrugged it off replying that it was a long time ago. He was over it.

" _Time is the best healer of wounds," Naoki said to her._

Time… She supposed that were true, but if that was the case, what was it about Yue's past that was taking so long to heal, so much so that he would never admit that he had some type of feelings for her.

"Sakura."

Sakura looked up. Only Yue said her name so gently, like her name was a precious jewel to be handled delicately. She smiled when he saw that he was holding a tray in his hand and when she cleared some of her work aside, he sat it in front of her.

"You should take a break. You've been doing this all morning."

Sakura took a sandwich off the plate while saying a quiet, "Thank you."

"It was no trouble," Yue said sitting across from her.

Sakura enjoyed these moments with her moon guardian, when he sat and watched her to make sure she was taking care of herself. It had started after her father died and she had insisted to her brother that she didn't need him to take care of her, that she could take care of herself. At that time, Yue only made a periodic visit every few weeks or so, under the pretense that she didn't need him.

But apparently worried about whether she was taking care of herself or not, Kero and Toya had managed to get Yue to stick around a little more citing that only his stubbornness could match her own. So he did. When she didn't want to eat, he forced her and when she wanted to stay up late and busy herself with something she deemed important, he forced her to bed and when she wanted to sleep but couldn't, he held her to him. He knew everything about her, every nuance, every like, every dislike.

It had been easy to ignore the feelings she had for him when he only came around when he felt like it every few weeks or so. But everything had gotten so much more complicated when he stuck around. And though he needed his space every now and then, which would result in him leaving the house for a while, she never worried. Yue always came back to her.

But despite their closeness, he still wasn't open with her, not honest and maybe that was the reason her relationship with Naoki was taking off so fast. His openness helped to move it along and while she knew that Yue cared for her, they'd never get anywhere if he didn't open up to her a little more.

"Yue," she said.

He hummed lazily, eyes closed, but not trying to go to sleep.

"Why aren't you ever honest with me?"

Yue opened his eyes at that, raising an eyebrow and asking, "You think I lied to you about something."

Sakura shook her head. "That's not what I mean."

She crawled around to his side and knelt next to him.

"I mean you're never honest with me about your emotions, what things make you feel. I always have to try and figure it out. You're so guarded," she explained.

"Don't concern yourself with such a thing. I'm supposed to take care of you, not the other way around," he said moving a strand of hair out her face and behind her ear.

"But that's just it!" Sakura said grabbing his hand in hers, causing Yue to stiffen. "You take care of me. And I'd like to take care of you if you would let me."

His eyes softened a bit as she spoke and leaned her face into the hand she holding, beginning to move it up and down. But as always, there was only so far Yue was willing to go and he pulled his hand away from her gently.

"I don't need anyone to take care of me," he said and stood to his feet. "Take care of your new boyfriend."

Anyone who didn't understand Yue wouldn't have seen a big deal in his words, but Sakura got the message. It was his way of turning her away, rejecting her affection for him.

"Yue," she said though she kept her eyes in her lap to hide the tears in her eyes.

"What?"

The tears threatened to fall at his sharp tone, but she held them back and said, "Why still after all this time don't you trust me?"

She chanced a glance at him. He was still, as though stuck, trying to decide whether to turn around and embrace her or just walk away. He did neither, but Sakura would have preferred he said nothing at all instead of what he did say.

"It's not you. I don't trust anyone," he said and then left the room.

Sakura let the tears fall silently when he left, and if it weren't for her phone ringing, she would have curled up on the couch and fallen asleep. She answered it without looking to see who it was.

"Hello," she said.

" _Sakura."_

She blinked a little. The way he said her name was the exact same way Yue said her name. But the difference was that Naoki treated her exactly the same way he said. Yue only did so to a certain degree.

" _Sakura," he said again when she didn't answer._

"Sorry… Hi Naoki."

" _You sound upset. Are you okay?"_

"No, no! I'm fine," Sakura said hastily wiping her tears. "I was just watching a movie is all. So what's up?"

" _That's just it. Nothing. I'm bored. Let's go somewhere if you're not busy."_

Sakura looked at her homework. She really should be finishing it, but she wasn't in the mood now. Maybe she needed to have some fun.

"Okay. How long will you be?"

" _Not long."_

"Really? Where are you?" Sakura asked so she could gauge the time she had to get ready.

" _Outside your house."_

Sakura gasped and went to look out the window. Sure enough, Naoki was there. He smiled when he saw her peeking through the window. She smiled back and went away from the window.

"Give me five minutes," Sakura said hanging up the phone and coming to a decision. Naoki was a nice man who wanted to open up to her, who didn't hold back and so neither would she. Naoki would be her future because he wanted her to be in it, and Sakura was beginning to realize that she wanted to part of it too.


	5. Making Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To get anywhere in life and to get power there were at least two out of three things a person needed: money, prestige, and connections. It didn't matter what order, because usually one led to the other.

**Chapter Five  
Making Plans  
**

All of one week and she had the young clan leader of the Li family wrapped around her finger. Tsubame had always craved this power, not because she particularly wanted it, but because she needed it, needed it if she wanted to get anywhere in life and to get power there were at least two out of three things a person needed: money, prestige, and connections. It didn't matter what order, because usually one led to the other. The Li Clan had all three.

She had learned centuries ago that government and political offices were a sham. Democracy, communism, socialism, they were all just illusions. The real people in charge were the ancient families. Every world had them and they were the people that the media never covered because they controlled the media, they controlled all the corporations and empires, they controlled the families who supposedly controlled the corporations and empires. She had also learned that many of those families were always the head magical families.

It was a well kept secret. The run of the mill sorcerer didn't know this, and she had been lucky enough to stumble upon it when she was younger and had jumped at the opportunity. It was something Tsubame wouldn't have even considered if she were at her full magical strength, but alas she wasn't. So she'd use the best assets a woman had; her body and the right charm.

The first thing she had to do though was consider her options. Which magical family first? The two obvious choices were the Reed's and the Li's. They were a tad more public than the others and also the most powerful. Egypt and Rome's family weren't ambitious enough for her to even bother with. In the end, she had chosen the Li's. On the surface, she might have chosen the Reeds, they had the glamour, the money, the prestige and they had everything they wanted, but they were a greedy bunch. Power was a delicate balance of keeping the people under happy by making them think they allowed the one in charge power and the one with the real power not letting it be known that such a thought was a lie. At the rate their country was going, Tsubame would have to stave off a revolution before she could enact her plan and though she enjoyed a challenge, the mess the Reed family was in would take more power to control than she had to deal with at the moment.

The Li Clan was the obvious choice. Not only were they ambitious, but they understood the delicate balance that had to be kept and she would maintain that balance until such a time she could retain the rest of her power and everyone would know who ruled them. They weren't greedy and that was the Reed Family's weakness. She'd use that to her advantage later though.

It had been too easy. As level headed as the young man was, he was just that, a man. And if a woman could make a man want her, she ruled him. So all it took under the guise of her alter, Misa, was the right words here, a little charm there and just the right showing of flesh and she could make him do anything she wanted, even marry her. Tsubame was lucky she was a good actor. Being Misa, though annoying at times because she hated hiding herself, was easy. After a few weeks, he introduced her to the rest of the family and she had enthralled them with her innocent charm, her polite manners, a taste of her feisty temper every now and then. After a while, she had even the elders around her finger, though they didn't know it. But there was one problem.

Her name was Meiling.

For some reason, the girl wouldn't fall for Tsubame's game and any kink in her plan could ruin everything. Then Tsubame figured it out. The girl was in love with the Clan leader.

"How cute…" Tsubame said to herself when she was alone one day. "If I didn't find her so annoying, she'd make a valuable asset to me."

Any other woman in Tsubame's place would be trying to figure out how to get rid of Meiling, showing Meiling her malice or killing her (right then anyway) would only put Tsubame's plan risk. This was one of those times Tsubame could have used Naoki to help her, make the girl fall in love with him. But he was back in Japan with his little card mistress and he seemed happy with her. Tsubame wouldn't take that from him. She'd just have to figure it out, hence the reason she had invited the girl for tea.

"Meiling. There you are! I was beginning to wonder whether or not you'd come," Tsubame said.

"Believe me Misa," Meiling said. "I started not to."

"Then I'll cut to the chase. I know you don't like me," Tsubame said.

Meiling rolled her eyes. "If this is your way of trying to become friends, forget it. I won't fall for your charm like every other person on this estate has."

"I wasn't going to ask you to," Tsubame said sweetly. "I was going to say that I know how it feels to love someone who won't love you in return

"What?"

"You love Syaoran. Don't you?" Tsubame asked.

Meiling looked taken aback. "How… How did you know?"

"You don't like me first of all and for no apparent reason either," Tsubame said. "That and the way your eyes soften when you look at him, like he's your only constant, the one person you know will always be by your side no matter what you go through."

Tsubame honestly knew the feeling, but she also knew that the always part wasn't always the case. Sometimes a loved one did leave, but the important part was that they were always there when it counted. She knew that from experience. It was nothing to get upset over if a person could figure that out. Therefore love was nothing to get upset about. Sometimes you won and sometimes you lost.

"I don't need your apologies."

"I didn't plan to give them to you," Tsubame said to her. "I'm not sorry that Syaoran doesn't love you or else, he wouldn't love me."

And that was what counted, not that Tsubame loved Syaoran, because she didn't and so far, she hadn't lied about that fact to anyone. The boy had taken her wanting to be assured of the fact that he loved her as a sign that she loved him. She almost rolled her eyes. So easy to fool.

"But, I did want you and I to come to a truce of some sort," Tsubame said. "I think we both want Syaoran to be happy."

That wasn't a lie. Tsubame needed the boy to be happy so that she could lure him and his clan into a false sense of security.

"So we'll at least try to get along on the grounds that we both want to make Syaoran happy and if you come up with a way to do so that I don't come up with, let me know. We don't have to be friends. But we don't have to be enemies either."

With that, Tsubame stood up before Meiling might protest, because no doubt the girl was going to. She probably would never agree to it, but the important thing was that the girl could never accuse her of being malicious, could never say she hadn't reached out or had some unrealistic expectation of what their relationship was. Tsubame sighed. She'd didn't have high expectations for the girl in regards to her plan. She would only get in the way. It was too bad really. She would have made a great ally.

* * *

"Alright. That's it Sakura. You've been going out with this guy for four weeks, and I've still yet to meet him."

Sakura sighed. Her brother had been nagging her about it for days now. She hadn't planned on him finding out so soon, but he happened to use her phone, accidently went through the call history, and found Naoki's name popping up quite a bit.

Sakura knew it was only a matter of time, but still...

"It's only been a month Toya. I haven't been with him that long. I don't think it's serious enough to force him to meet you," Sakura said.

"That's not what Yukito said," Toya shot back.

Sakura looked up from her dinner to look at Yukito who laughed nervously.

"What did you say?" she asked.

"Only that I saw you with him at the movies the other day," Yukito said looking away.

"Why didn't you say hi?" Sakura asked. She hadn't seen Yukito at the movies recently, least of all with Naoki.

"Because… You were both kind of distracted."

Sakura took in a short breath. She remembered that day. It had been about a week ago and what she intended to be a kiss to greet Naoki turned into a passionate session that almost resulted in them missing their movie. So maybe she was lying a little when she said her relationship with Naoki wasn't very serious yet. It was serious, so much so that the pace at which it was going scared and excited Sakura at the same time. She didn't know what to feel about it.

"So when do I meet him?" Toya asked again.

Sakura blushed and began trying to come up with some random excuse until her phone rang.

She snatched it before Toya could try to grab it and answered it, pretty sure who it was.

"Hi Naoki."

" _Hello Sakura. You sound nervous."_

Sakura laughed a little, looking at Toya who was staring at her with narrowed eyes.

"It's just my brother is giving me the third degree about you. He kind of wants to meet you."

" _Really?"_

"Yeah…" Sakura said.

"I want to talk to him Sakura. Give me the phone," Toya decided.

"No way!"

" _No way what?"_

"Oh! Sorry Naoki. It's Toya, he's- Eep!" Sakura leapt out her chair as Toya reached across the table to try to snatch the phone from her. "Toya stop it."

She blushed when she heard Naoki laughed.

"I'm so sorry. My brother is just so… Toya stop it!"

Sakura ducked out of Toya's reach, the noise it caused only causing Naoki to laugh more.

"Naoki… Can I call you back later, like after I throw my brother out the house?"

Naoki laughed again.

" _Tell you what? If your brother wants to meet me so much, how about we have dinner or something?"_

"Uh… At your house maybe? That would force my brother to have to be polite."

" _You've seen my place. It's not that big."_

"You've been over to his house? Why?" Toya demanded.

"He was painting a portrait of me you _baka_!" Sakura said.

"In what state!"

"Toya!"

" _How about this then? I was calling to ask if you wanted to go to the end of spring festival Sunday evening anyway. Why don't we make this a family thing? I'll see if I can get Misa to come and you get your brother and his boyfriend to come?"_

"Can Tomoyo come too? You know, kill two birds with one stone?"

" _That's fine. And bring your guardian too. Yue right? I haven't met him yet either."_

Sakura paused. Yue… They're relationship was a little strained to say the least.

" _Sakura."_

Sakura blinked. "Yeah… That's fine. I'll just tell everyone."

"Tell everyone what?" Toya asked, having given up trying to take the phone.

"Alright. I'll call you later," Sakura said and hung up the phone.

"So?" Toya asked.

"He invited everyone to come to the end of spring festival Sunday evening," Sakura said to him. "There will be people around, so that means you have to behave!"

"Fine, whatever…" Toya grumbled as Sakura started up the stairs. "Where are you going?"

"I'll be back. Don't worry," Sakura said going to find Yue.

At first, she had been a little angry at him, upset that he'd shun her when it was obvious he felt something for her. Then she wondered if there was something wrong with her, if she had done something to him. She didn't remember doing so. But who knew when it came to Yue. Now she just missed him. Sure he still took care of her, but that was just something he always did. She wanted her friend back. So putting her hurt feelings aside, she looked for him in the house and finally found him on the roof.

"I've told you about doing that," Sakura said to him as she called FLY back to her. "Do you know how odd it looks to the neighbors to see two people on the roof to begin with, let alone with wings?"

He made a sound. It might have been a laugh. Sakura wasn't sure though. But in any case, his wings disappeared. She made her way to stand next to him.

"What are you doing out here anyway?" she asked.

"Thinking I suppose," Yue said.

"You suppose?"

Yue sighed. "I came out here to clear my head. It's not working."

"You know," Sakura began, "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable earlier, when I asked if you'd let me take care of you. I was just worried about you. You don't seem to have an opinion about all this, my dating Naoki that is."

"What does my opinion on it matter?"

"I think you may know the answer to that," Sakura said and then added, "Your opinion always matters."

"Sakura…"

Sakura knew that tone. He was about to gently push her away again, so she hastily said, "But let's put all that behind us right now. In any case, since Toya wants to meet Naoki so badly, we're going to the end of spring festival. Naoki would like it if you'd come too."

Yue was silent, the annoyed expression that usually crossed his features when she suggested this kind of thing absent.

"I don't care if Naoki wants me to come or not. What do his feelings matter to me?" Yue asked.

Sakura sighed. Brutally honest as always…

"Alright then. I'm not surprised. You don't like this kind of stuff anyway."

"But," Yue continued stopping Sakura who was about to leave the roof, "I'll go if you want me to."

Sakura blinked and reared her head back in surprise.

"Really?"

"Do you want me to go?" he asked again.

"I... Yes. I'd like it if you came," Sakura replied trying to fight her blush. Besides, if she wanted anyone to like Naoki, it was Yue. That way, at the very least, he'd still remain with her even if he kept his at a distance.

* * *

Tsubame had a mind of her own, especially when she wanted to accomplish something. Naoki wasn't sure how she was going to do it, but eventually Tsubame would make herself ruler of this world and she'd manipulate whoever she had to in order to do it. That's why he wasn't surprised to hear her gently chiding someone, a temporary lover he supposed, so that she could talk to "her brother" freely.

"So I'm your brother now?" he asked her.

_Tsubame giggled. "You're a lot of things to me love. It wasn't a lie,"_

"Whatever," Naoki said resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "So do you think you can be back in Japan Sunday?"

" _For what?"_

"Sakura's brother apparently wants to meet me, so we're going to an end of spring festival. She's bringing all her family, and I told them I'd try to get you to come."

" _Hm… I remember going to festivals like those with you when I was younger. We were so carefree then. Is that why things with you and that card mistress are getting so serious?"_

Naoki was silent. He didn't need Tsubame's prying.

" _Sounds like I'm not the only one who's sentimental. But seriously Naoki. How serious is this? Have you slept with her yet?"_

"She's a baby compared to me."

" _Stop making up excuse. That hasn't stopped you before. I have to say I'm a little surprised. I thought this might be a short fling, but you really like that naïve child. Should I start planning a wedding?"_

"Jealous?"

Tsubame was silent for a while, but Naoki could just imagine the knowing smile playing on her lips. Finally she said, _"You always come back."_

"So can you come or not?" Naoki asked growing tired of playing with her.

" _Sorry love. I have plans already."_

"Does it have anything to do with you new lover?"

" _Jealous?"_

"Not even remotely," Naoki replied.

" _You shouldn't be. Not the best sex I've ever had, but he serves his purpose."_

Naoki wouldn't even begin to ask or wonder what that purpose was and so he said, "Even if it was something to be jealous of, I have Sakura."

" _I know you do. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go pay some attention to said new lover."_

She hung up the phone, and Naoki shook his head. He had stopped trying to reason with that woman centuries ago.


	6. Jealousy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You'll never know how much you'll miss these times when she's all grown up, more concerned about other things with less innocent view of the world. You should cherish it."

**Chapter Six  
Jealousy  
**

"What's with Yue?"

Sakura blinked in surprise as she lost her concentration and missed the bottles she was throwing the ball at. So far it had been a great night, even if her brother had been a bit cold to the man at first and gave him the general third degree that was always involved when she met a new guy.

" _Toya! Stop being so mean!" Sakura snapped._

Naoki only took it in good humor though, citing that he was the same way when it came to Misa and that she in fact had a new boyfriend he had to intimidate when she got around to bringing him back from China. He allowed Toya to pester him and after Toya was finally done, even dismissed when Toya was acting like a jerk just for the fact that, and Sakura quoted, "He's a nice guy I guess. That means I don't have anything to dislike about him."

It was soon after that they had gone their separate ways, Tomoyo managing to con her brother and Yukito into going on some ride or another with her to give she and Naoki some time to themselves. For that, Sakura was grateful and had happily played games with Naoki, laughed and giggled like the school girl she was any time he decided to be romantic with her. She had been so absorbed in what she was doing that she had forgotten Yue was even present for he had hardly said a word.

"Yue?" she asked looking around.

"He's over there," Naoki said, nodding his head back.

Sakura turned to see Yue leaning on a street pole with his eyes closed, wind blowing a few loose strands of hair in his face. He didn't look bored, but he didn't look like he was having a good time either. However, he seemed to be perfectly content doing whatever he was doing.

"This kind of thing isn't really Yue's scene," Sakura said throwing another ball. "He only came because I asked him to, otherwise he probably would have stayed home."

In fact he wanted to back out, not that he said it, but it was on his face between she and Kero they had joked that Kero should have been the one made in a human form and Yue the one who was the 'beast.' That way he could stay in the house all day and Kero, who was upset that he couldn't go to the festival, could do whatever.

"Anti-social?"

"Somewhat…" Sakura said glancing at her guardian again.

"He must be very protective of you. He's been following us for a while."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Yeah… Yue can be more or less worse than my brother."

"He hasn't bothered us all night, so I'm not sure if that's true or not," Naoki said and stopped her from throwing her next ball. "Since you're so uncoordinated, how about you let me throw that."

"Hey!" Sakura said, but handed it to him anyway.

"Why don't you tell Yue to come join us?" Naoki asked as he tossed the ball up and down in his hand. "I don't mind. Besides, I think you're exaggerating. He can't be any worse than your brother."

"I don't know. Yue has a way about him…" Sakura said but went to go get Yue anyway.

She didn't need to warn him that she was there. He already sensed her approach no doubt. So she grabbed his arm.

"Come on. You're being all anti-social," Sakura said pulling on his arm.

"I can't believe I let you drag me here," he muttered dryly standing up straight.

"You could have said no."

"You have a way of being very persistent. I wouldn't have gotten out of it."

Sakura scowled. "Well maybe if you at least tried to have some fun it wouldn't be that bad. Come on."

"These kind of amusements hardly come close to my definition of fun," Yue replied.

"There must be something…" Sakura said looking around.

"So he's being difficult?"

Naoki came up behind the two, holding a plush cat. He wordlessly handed it to Sakura who said in frustration, "Yes."

"It wouldn't be difficult if you just left me alone," Yue said starting to feel irritated himself.

Naoki snickered.

"You find this funny?" Yue asked glaring at him.

"Yes. You two remind me of Misa and I when we were younger is all. Come on Yue. Would it really hurt to tag along with us? I think Sakura would like it," Naoki said wrapping a hand around Sakura's waist.

No one missed the way Yue's eyes darted to where Naoki arm when he settled it around Sakura. However, just as quick as he looked, he looked away and sighed, getting ready to follow them.

They just walked for a while, only stopping to get Sakura a bag of popcorn before continuing, not sure where they were going. It was the perfect night for a walk anyway. The noise and chatter of the festival began to fade into the background as the three walked, Yue eventually laying an arm around Sakura's shoulder. Sakura didn't notice, not even when they stopped every now and then and she pointed out something Yue might like to do. Finally she sighed.

"I give up. How about we-?" Sakura jumped at the sound of firecrackers nearby, dropping her popcorn and yelling, "Hoe!"

Looking ahead, she saw a group of preteens ahead, amusing themselves with the said objects. Realizing this, Sakura blushed and picked up the bag from her spilled popcorn.

"Sorry," Sakura said softly.

"That's fine," Naoki said. "Why don't you go get some more? We'll wait for you."

Sakura nodded. "I'll be right back," she said before running off.

"I really do hope that one day she'll grow out of that," Yue muttered to himself, not intending for Naoki to hear him.

"I find it endearing," Naoki said. "You'll never know how much you'll miss these times when she's all grown up, more concerned about other things with less innocent view of the world. You should cherish it."

Yue looked at Naoki, trying to decide whether to ignore him or not. He sighed. For Sakura's sake, he'd try to be nice.

"Sounds like you know from experience," he finally replied.

Naoki snorted. "Not at all. Misa might have been innocent at one time before, but she wasn't when I met her."

"Misa your sister?"

Naoki shrugged. "You can call her that if you want, but our status changes depending on the situation."

"Changes?" Yue asked raising his eyebrow and then said more than asked, "You two used to be lovers."

"At one time," Naoki said shrugging. "We were never able to completely work it out. So we decided to do our own things."

"Yet you still take care of her?"

"Tell me this," Naoki said. "Is your relationship with anyone else or her relationship with me going to change the way you take care of Sakura, the way you two relate?"

Yue looked at him for a moment, not quite sure how to take the comment. Finally he said, "No."

"Misa and I are the same way. Look at you and Sakura. You two aren't on good terms right now, but you're faking it for the sake of everyone else."

Yue frowned at that.

"How could you tell?" he asked in a clipped tone.

Naoki chuckled a little. "She talks about you all the time. Trust me. I can tell."

Yue didn't find it funny. In fact, he found it a little conccerning that this man seemed to able to read Sakura so well after only knowing her for a few weeks. He crossed his arms, about to ask him why when Sakura came back.

"Sorry it took so long. I had to wait for them to pop a fresh batch," Sakura said and then frowned at the hard look in Yue's eyes. "Are you okay Yue?"

Yue blinked out of his glare, Sakura not seeming to notice that it was directed at Naoki.

"Yes. I'm fine."

Sakura knew he was lying, but didn't ask anymore about it. Not in front of Naoki anyway. However she didn't miss the way he would sometimes look at Naoki as if trying to find the man underneath and for the life of her, Sakura couldn't pinpoint what it was. It bothered her so that she couldn't properly enjoy herself. When they got home, door closed behind them, she started to ask. But seeming to know what she was going to say before she said it, Yue said, "I don't like him."

Sakura reared her head back in surprise, so stunned that Yue had left the entryway and headed for the sitting room before she could formulate a response. She followed him, finding him back in his true form and heading outside.

"What do you mean you don't like him?" she asked when she caught up to him and followed him outside. "You're the one who told me I should go out with him in the first place."

"Of course I did. He was better than those other idiots you tried to go out with," Yue said testily

"Then what changed."

Yue sighed. "Something about him just rubs me the wrong way."

Sakura wasn't sure what to say about it. Not even her brother could find anything wrong with her new lover. So why was Yue having a problem with it?

"Rubs you the wrong way?" Sakura asked.

"Well for one Misa," Yue said to her. "I don't like the way he talks about her, the way he relates her to you."

"Why is that? Misa's a nice girl."

"It's not that. Have you ever noticed he doesn't seem to know how to define exactly what she is to him?"

Sakura had noticed that, but it hadn't bothered her, not a lot anyway. Maybe because if anyone asked her to define what Yue was to her she wouldn't have an answer either. Guardian just happened to be the safe answer. Fact of the matter was Sakura overlooked Naoki's closeness to Misa. It didn't really bother her.

"If you're worried about the fact that they used to be lovers, don't. Besides, Misa's in China right now, with a new boyfriend so I've heard."

Yue didn't reply to the comment, only moved on to saying, "He knows too much about you."

Sakura blinked at that one. "What do you mean?"

Yue turned from looking at the night sky to Sakura who shivered at how penetrating it was. He then said, "He knows things about you that only I know; things that you keep closely guarded and locked away in your heart. How is it that he can read you so well in such a short time?"

Sakura started to blush and go into a ramble about how Naoki was so gentle and caring that she felt she could just trust him with all her secrets, that she didn't have to hide them. Then she remembered who she was talking to and how he sounded.

"I can't believe you," Sakura said honestly looking at Yue in disbelief. "You're jealous."

Yue scoffed. "Hardly."

Sakura wasn't even going to argue with him. It was no use. They'd only end up not talking again, but at the rate he was going, that was going to happen anyway. She should have walked away after that. She should have just left it alone and hoped Yue was cooled off in the morning preparing her a breakfast to go when she woke up late for school.

Instead she said quietly, "I gave you the chance to stop me you know. I wanted you to."

"Well I'm telling you now," Yue said softly. It wasn't cold, simply fact, a simple truth. He hadn't thought it would last this long, that it would get this serious, that someone else would begin to come to know her like he did.

"I can't," Sakura said biting her lip. "I… I really like Naoki."

It was the truth. She could have stopped herself from liking him before it got started. Maybe they could have been close friends or something, but now… Naoki was so nice to her, so caring, so warm and she enjoyed that. Everything Yue refused to give her, Naoki was willing to. He also didn't chide her when she decided to act childish. In fact, he seemed to quite enjoy it. He was beginning to feel the empty void in her heart that had been present for a long time and she wouldn't suddenly break it off for him just because now Yue decided to be jealous.

Yue huffed in frustration, looking back to the skies.

"Fine," he said. "But I'm warning you. Naoki isn't what he seems."

Sakura decided to leave before Yue said it in a less pleasant way, but before she did, she stopped in the doorway and whisper so that he barely heard her, "How can you expect me to trust you, but you won't trust me?"

She didn't wait for an answer, didn't want one, not if Yue was going to try and justify it in some valid sense of logic.

She collapsed on the couch, looking back out to see Yue and then closed her eyes. Why did he have to decide to be jealous and protective now? A few weeks ago she would have been thrilled.

Her phone ringing snapped Sakura out her thoughts, and she sighed, thankful for the distraction. Not even bothering to look at the caller ID she said, "Hello."

" _Sakura!"_

"Meiling!"

That was a surprise. Though they exchanged the occasional phone call and email, Meiling never called this late, nor did she ever sound so panicky.

" _Sakura, I'm sorry for calling you when it's so late there, but I didn't know what else to do. I was just going to let it go but… Sakura, something isn't right about this and I'm not just saying this because I'm jealous or something!"_

Sakura hardly knew how to respond. Never had she heard Meiling sound so desperate. It had to be something distressing for her to call like this.

"What is it?"

" _Syaoran got married."_

Sakura's jaw dropped, and she nearly dropped her phone too. Did Meiling just say…?

"HOE!"

Kero came flying down the stairs and hearing her exclamation, Yue came from outside.

" _Sakura. Are you there?"_

Sakura blinked out her stupor.

"Yeah… I… He got married! To who!"

" _I don't know. Some girl from Japan. You should see. She's got the whole clan wrapped around her finger. She knows just what to say, when to say it, how to act. She's so… So…"_

"Perfect?" Sakura suggested.

" _That's just it! She's not. She loses her temper, sometimes acts like a little clutz. Sakura, something is up with this girl."_

"Meiling. Are you sure you're not just jealous?" Sakura asked to be sure.

" _Yes I'm sure."_

Sakura sat still for a moment. It did seem odd. She wasn't even sure what to make of it. "Does she have magic?"

" _Limitedly… or so she claims anyway. It's hard to tell from the way she acts. You'd have to meet her for yourself."_

Sakura sighed. "Well it's not like I can get to China any time soon."

" _I know… I just wanted to make sure I hadn't gone crazy, that I wasn't the only one who thought this was weird."_

Weird was right. This wasn't normal, but on the other hand it was nothing that raised a red flag in particular. Unless…

" _What's going on?" Meiling asked taking note of Sakura's sudden silence._

"I don't know if this has anything to do with the suddenness of this, but there's this sorceress that I met almost two months ago. She calls herself the immortal Queen Tsubame. I haven't seen her since though."

" _You think this girl might be connected."_

Sakura shrugged even though Meiling couldn't see her. "I don't know. I mean, what would Tsubame get out of marrying Syaoran? Certainly not power. She seems to have enough of that. My attacks with the cards passed right through her."

" _Still… It's something. Do me a favor and keep me updated on anything you find out about this Queen Tsubame?"_

Sakura nodded and on that note, Meiling greeted her good night.

Sakura hung up the phone and sighed, looking at Yue and Cerberus who were giving her curious looks.

"I think I need to talk to Eriol again. You're not going to believe this…"

* * *

" _You did what?"_

Tsubame laughed. "You heard me. I got married."

The pause on the other end only caused Tsubame to giggle more as she sat in the garden in her red wedding dress, long chocolate hair tied into an elegant bun atop her head with expensive heirloom jewels in it.

"Naoki. Are you still there?"

" _What are you up to?"_

"Do you know how much power the Li's have? Oh this is going to be wonderful. They have a lot of connections. And I think… Yes, I think I'm going to play with their connection to the Reed Family. Taking over will be easy from there. And I was hoping for a challenge," Tsubame said.

" _Don't exaggerate."_

"It's true," Tsubame said seriously, whimsical tone now gone. She had done the research. The Li Clan had bailed the Reeds out of a lot of impending disasters and they owed the Li Clan. She could use this whole thing to her advantage.

" _Well while you're doing that. Have you figured out how to restore your power?"_

Tsubame sighed. "Don't worry love. It'll fall into place."

" _What did you see?"_

It was no secret between them that Tsubame could see the future about as clearly as a person could read the newspaper. She didn't like to use the ability all the time for it took the challenge out of her conquests. It was more fun manipulating people into doing what she wanting and predicting their actions than already knowing them. But Naoki should have known she would take a peek to figure out how to get her magic back.

"Nothing love. Don't worry though. If everything works out, I'll be home soon."

Tsubame hung up the phone and sighed. It would still take a few weeks for her vision to come true and she was able to access her full powers. She sat at the fountain, content to be by herself instead of the celebration. Not that she wanted to celebrate since this was just a step in her ultimate plan. But regardless, she had long grown out of being a social being. All she needed was Naoki, Leo, and her magic. She tossed her head back so that she could feel the cool drizzle of the fountain spray on her face. It was then she heard it, someone else talking.

"Do me a favor and keep me updated on anything you find out about this Queen Tsubame?"

Tsubame lifted her head back up at the sound of her name and then stood up and went to the other side of a tree to find Meiling standing there hanging up her phone. As she turned around, the Chinese girl jumped upon seeing Tsubame.

"You didn't want to go to the party?" Tsubame asked her, playing off the fact that she had been listening.

"I… No," Meiling said.

Tsubame smiled. "Me neither. I much rather be out here and enjoying the quiet. You could join me if you want."

"No thanks," Meiling said blushing a little before she left Tsubame to herself again.

Tsubame frowned as she left. It looked like her offer of a truce with the girl hadn't worked. She'd have to be careful around the girl if she wanted her plan to go off without a hitch, not that a hitch would stop her, but it would definitely slow down her progress, and until she got her powers back that was something that she could not afford to happen.


	7. Turning the Tides

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes it embarrassed her; that she was beginning to want Naoki in a way that wasn't so innocent. But more than anything, it scared the heck out of her.

**Chapter Seven  
Turning the Tides  
**

"He did what?"

Not much surprised Eriol anymore, but Sakura's words did.

" _Syaoran got married and Meiling doesn't trust the girl. She has a bad feeling about it, especially when I told her about Tsubame. You don't think…"_

Eriol sighed. "There's no way to be certain. Because if that is the case, that begs the question if Tsubame is so powerful, why would she even waste her time?"

" _Could it have something to do with the fact that she can't use all her magic?"_

Eriol had already thought of that. But that didn't make sense, what would she have to gain from doing that? Sure the Li Clan was powerful, but not that powerful. What did she have to gain from doing something so drastic?

"Perhaps. Maybe it's because she's lacking her full magical ability that she's taking such an indirect approach, whatever that approach is," Eriol said. "Don't worry though. I'm still looking into it. I'll let you know whenever I find something. Just be careful and let me know if Meiling comes to you with something else."

_Sakura sighed. "I will."_

Eriol hung up the phone and sighed. Until they figured out exactly what Tsubame wanted and how she could get it, there was nothing anyone could do. He got up and went to search through his library again, this time not focusing on any particular section or hunch, because he really had no clue. He stopped halfway down the isle of one of the shelves, something compelling him to do so. He ran his hand along the shelf and stopped in front of what he thought was a random book. Eriol took it out anyway, looking at the front cover.

" _The Sorcerer Gods_?" he asked himself as he read the title and glanced at the cover of a red sky with light shining through the clouds and people bowing under it.

Eriol had half the mind to put it back. In fact, he almost laughed. The gods were just mortal's way of explaining phenomena they didn't know how. There wasn't much truth to them, if any.

Eriol started to put it up and then sighed. What would it hurt to read the thing? He had already looked through everything else he thought might help. He wouldn't be wasting any more time than he already had.

* * *

Sakura bit her lip a little as she stared down at her homework page, but she wasn't thinking about the homework, only about her conversation with Eriol the previous night. It was something, because he usually knew a lot more about things than she did. But when Eriol was stumped, it was something to worry about. The Immortal Queen Tsubame... She was a puzzle. That was for sure. For weeks Sakura hadn't seen nor heard anything about the woman and then all of a sudden, Syaoran came up married. To make such an open declaration to take over the planet, then not openly act on it, and then suddenly do something that was so obvious was weird. Therefore, there was just no way Tsubame could have something to do with this. Then again, Tsubame seemed to have a weird contradicting vibe based on the one time Sakura had met her. Still when she found the time, she'd have to call Syaoran to see what was going on.

"It can't be that hard."

Sakura looked up to see Naoki had come back into the room with a soda for her and a cup of coffee for him.

"What do you mean?"

Naoki nodded to her homework as he put the soda next to her on the coffee table.

"You're looking at your homework like its rocket science or something is all. Is it really that hard? Or is it math?"

Sakura blinked as she looked down, not quite sure what she was doing. She had been so lost in her thoughts she wasn't paying much attention to it.

"It's nothing," she said to him. "I was just thinking."

"Too much if you ask me," Naoki said coming around to sit next to her and then pulling her to him by the waist.

"Naoki!" Sakura said laughing as he did so. "My homework!"

"It's not due for a month," Naoki said burying his face in her neck.

"I know that, but I'm trying to get started on it early."

"You seem more like the type to procrastinate school work."

"I am," Sakura admitted. "But I'm trying to change that."

"Are you really? Or are you just trying to avoid that guardian of yours?" Naoki asked.

Sakura cringed. Caught. To say the least, she and Yue were going through one of those rocky periods in their relationships, but this time was different. Before the tension between them was just the result of Sakura getting a little too close to the fine line between their close friendship and something else. But this time was different. By dating Naoki, she was forcing Yue closer to that fine line, to come to terms with what their relationship was, if it could be defined. To be honest, the prospect terrified her. She wasn't sure exactly what it was she felt for her moon guardian, but neither was she certain where her relationship with Naoki was going either.

"How did you know?"

Naoki shrugged. "The way you say his name has changed. What's the problem?"

Sakura bit her lip, not sure how to answer and then said, "He's not too happy about me dating you."

"Jealous?"

"Yes," Sakura grumbled before she could stop herself and then added quickly, "I mean, that I'm spending so much time with you is all."

Naoki laughed. "I know what you meant… Unless I have something to be worried about of course?"

Sakura gasped, shaking her head. "No. Of course not… You're not worried are you?"

Naoki laughed at her, the tickle of his breath on her neck causing her to become a little uncomfortable, a weird feeling settling in her stomach.

"It's so fun to get you all riled up," he said kissing her cheek. "Relax. I'm just teasing."

Sakura huffed, trying to keep down the blush that was forming on her cheeks.

"You're so mean."

"You're so beautiful."

Sakura imagined she was going to be permanently red at the rate Naoki was going.

"Stop being so shy. I want to see your face."

Sakura couldn't help the shy part, but did turn to look at him. As soon as she did, his lips found hers. She maneuvered herself better so that she was on her knees and didn't have to awkwardly crane her neck to kiss him. Naoki pulled her into his lap, and as he did so, he licked her lips, gently compelling her to open her mouth so that his tongue could explore it. His tongue played with a spot near the back of her mouth that caused Sakura to let a moan escaped her, a nice tingling feeling beginning to spread through her body. He began to run his hand up and down her back while her hand tangled in his hair.

Her kisses with Naoki weren't like her previous boyfriends or dates. This kind of passion hadn't been present, this needy longing, hadn't been present, this fire burning in her lower regions…

She pulled away, not because she wanted to stop, but because she was out of breath.

"Let's go on a vacation, just me and you."

Sakura blinked. Naoki could be so spontaneous sometimes. "When?"

"Right now."

"Now!" Sakura said. "Naoki! I can't just up and leave."

"It's not like we'll be leaving the country or something, just to the beach, in a beachside hotel or inn for a few days. Not like you have to be at school."

Sakura flushed at the implication. "Just the two of us?"

Naoki kissed her again. "It's just to relax. I'm not trying to get you alone so I can have my way with you. No pressure."

Sakura had to keep herself from rolling her eyes. No pressure. Sure… Not that Naoki ever pressured her for anything, maybe got a little too touchy every now and then, but nothing else. No, the pressure was coming from herself. Something about being with Naoki unlocked something in her, another side of her, a side of her that didn't mind when Naoki just almost crossed the invisible line she had drawn in regards to their physical relationship, a side more primal in nature and a side that Sakura wasn't sure was herself sometimes. Sometimes it embarrassed her; that she was beginning to want Naoki in a way that wasn't so innocent. But more than anything, it scared the heck out of her.

"So?" he asked. "What do you say?"

Sakura grinned, setting her worries aside. "We'll have to stop by my house first."

"No we don't."

"Why not?"

Naoki gestured for her to stand up. Sakura did so and then Naoki did the same and led her to the back where the rooms were.

"Misa's about your size. You can use her stuff," Naoki said opening the door to the woman's room.

Sakura hesitantly followed him inside. It was relatively neat, the light from outside shining inside of it from the large window on the opposite side of the room that led out to a balcony.

"You sure she won't mind?"

Naoki shrugged. "That girl has all kind of stuff in here that she hasn't even opened or worn. She just likes to shop for the heck of it. She probably wouldn't notice anything was missing. Besides, not like she'll be back any time soon."

"Misa's still in China?"

"She met someone over there and doesn't want to leave yet."

Sakura nodded in understanding as she went to the closet. It was one of those large walk in closets with a lot of space and not a space was left unfilled. She slowly began to look through the hangers, surprised to see Naoki was right. She thought he had been exaggerating, but there were still tags on many of the items. In fact, maybe half the stuff hadn't been worn.

She took a few beach outfits and casual wear, draping them over her arm before looking at the swim suits. Sakura blushed at how skimpy some of them were. Goodness! Didn't Misa have anything a little more conservative? She took one of the less skimpy out, a blue two piece with off shoulder sleeve top and boy short bottoms. She bit her lip. It was better than the rest, but still bolder than what she was used to.

Sakura started to put it back, deciding that she could buy a swim suit or two on the way.

"Don't put it back. I like that one."

Sakura blushed. She hadn't been aware Naoki was watching her.

"No way! I…"

Why was he so good at making her feel all flustered and buttery?

He came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He pressed a kiss on her cheek.

"Why are you so shy? I think you're beautiful."

Sakura blushed, but relaxed in his embrace regardless, allowing him to kiss her neck. Her grip on the clothing loosened as she leaned into his embrace. A moan escaped her as he licked certain spots.

She had dropped the clothing by then and when he stopped kissing her neck, she turned around to capture his lips again. He sucked on her top lip, teasing the entrance of her mouth. She parted her lips, and he thrust his tongue in her mouth, teasing her own tongue at first and then exploring the rest of her mouth. Sakura moaned all thoughts of packing forgotten. What was the rush anyway? They could always leave tomorrow. He pulled them both down, so that Sakura lay on her back on the soft carpet and he lie on top of her. Something inside her stirred, a feeling she had never felt before. Why did she feel like she wanted to do more than just kissing?

Naoki's hands ran over her stomach, only beginning to increase the heat she was beginning to feel.

Another moan escaped her, this time louder, despite her attempts to stop it. She felt like her body was beginning to act of its own accord.

"Naoki," she whispered between a kiss.

He silenced her with another kiss and then his hand went higher until it rested just under her breast. Then he grabbed it, not hard, but only squeezed on it through her shirt gently.

Sakura gasped, not only out of the pleasurable sensation she was feeling, but out of realization of what they were doing and where this might end up. As much as she liked it, anticipated the way it might feel, she wasn't sure she was ready for it.

So she pushed Naoki away, part of her disappointed at the loss of contact, but conflicting that was relief.

"Sakura."

"Sorry," Sakura said sitting up hastily and getting on her knees to grab the clothing she had dropped in order to hide her embarrassment. "I just… I've never."

"What are you apologizing for?"

Sakura looked at Naoki surprised. He was sitting close to her, watching her grab the clothing, not looking at all angry or even annoyed like she thought he may.

"Hoe?"

Naoki chuckled a little and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"I'm the one who should be apologizing. Did I scare you?"

Sakura blushed a little replying, "Yes and no…"

Naoki stood up and then helped her stand.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

"I understand," Sakura said softly. "I mean…"

She trailed off, not quite sure how to put into words what she wanted to say.

"Forget about it," Naoki said and then added as he began to pulled her out the closet. "Come on. Let's finish packing."

* * *

One of the perks of having the name Li attached to her name was that now she had the right to force other people in the magic community to listen to her, including the Reed Family, even if they weren't aware she had the name. It was easy enough to get to them. Married or not, Tsubame was still living under the guise of a famous international model, which meant she could go wherever this job took her and it just so happened that it took her to New York. Of course, the Reed family was clustered all over the United States, but mainly in New York, Atlanta, and California. It was strategic really. They could stop most magical intruders before they entered the country in New York and California because of their proximity to the borders and Atlanta had the busiest airport in the world. Many powerful people went through that city. But it wasn't difficult for Tsubame to suppress her magical aura, as if they could stop her from entering the country even if she couldn't.

It did however explain why Jonathon Reed was so shocked when she appeared before him inside his presidential suite in her gold and fuchsia kimono and white face paint; hair wrapped up into an elegant bun at the back of her head and in her hands was a tray with a teapot and a cup. She obviously wasn't a servant or one of his assistants. And Tsubame was sure none of them dressed like Japanese royalty.

"How did you get in here?"

Tsubame laughed. "It wasn't hard. I have a way of persuading people."

Tsubame sat the tray down in front of him at his desk. She then picked up the pot and poured him a cup of coffee before pouring herself a cup. She then sat in a chair that Jonathon was positive wasn't there before.

"You like your coffee black, don't you?" she asked and then giggled, two sugars dropping into her cup out of thin air and the black liquid turning murky brown as a result of the cream. Jonathon looked surprised, which was the point of the display of magic. If he didn't know she was a powerful sorceress from her purposefully obvious powerful aura before, he knew it now.

"Who are you?"

"I go by quite a few names, depending on the person. But the one I prefer is Tsubame. There's no need to introduce yourself in kind. I know who you are Jonathan Reed."

He was trying to size her up, but Tsubame wasn't worried. It wouldn't work on her. She already knew everything she needed to know about him. He was young for a family leader, just like the Li Clan head, but certainly older than Syoaran was at the age of thirty or so. Tsubame almost laughed. She was centuries ahead of them with a few more to go. The arrogance of these two clans would be their downfall.

"What do you want?"

"The same thing the Reed family wants," Tsubame said taking a sip of her coffee. "The downfall of the Li Clan."

She enjoyed his reaction. There was surprise, shock, and restrained curiosity, exactly what she had anticipated. And also according to what she anticipated, he immediately tried to defend them.

"The Li's are out greatest allies. Why would our family want them to fall?"

"Because they're more powerful than you are, and you owe them. Big time. How many times have they used their connections to bail your family out of trouble? If it weren't for the Li's, the Reed family's money, wealth and name would have died out decades ago."

Jonathon was probably wondering how Tsubame knew so much. But to be honest, she didn't know much of anything at all. It was a bunch of assumptions really, based on the fact that the livelihood of the Reed Family was tied to a lot of investments in corporations, which only meant that based on the downward spiral of the American Economy the Reed's were on shaky grounds. It was only natural to assume that the Li Clan helped bail them out every now and then, based on the ties linked by a man who had died centuries ago.

"Don't you all hate it? Being in debt to them?" Tsubame asked playing on the greed she knew ran in the family. There was no gratitude for them. Debt was only a chain that made them play nice. "They control you. At any time they need you all they have to do is yank your chain and you come running. They rule you. They have power over. I can help you change that."

"You want us to betray or own family?"

Tsubame laughed. "Family? Your only tie is a powerful sorcerer who at the end of the day tossed you both to the side to pass down his most powerful magic to a little girl who wants to be normal. It's not betrayal. I call it simply turning the tides."

"And what do you get out of this? What do you want?"

"Prestige, power, connections, not in that order," Tsubame said. Of course it was the connections that counted with the Reed family. They were a nosy bunch and had the knowledge of a lot of things where it counted which was probably the only thing they had going for them nowadays. But none of that was what she wanted. The conversation itself would be enough.

"What do you propose?"

Tsubame grinned. "Kill their clan leader. Power is passed down from male to male and Li Syaoran is the last male heir to the clan."

"We'd have better luck trying to find a needle in a thousand haystacks."

Tsubame smiled. "I have close ties to the family. I'll do the dirty work for you if you can get me what I want."

"And what's that?"

"I'm sure we can come to some type of agreement, that somehow you can get me into some high seat or place," Tsubame said vaguely, but it was just enough to seal the deal. If she had been on the other end of this deal, she would have never gone for it. She'd never go into a deal with someone without knowing what the other party wanted, not to mention where they were calling all the shots. It was a win-win situation for her.

"We'll discuss it… after you come through with your end of the deal."

Tsubame smiled. The Reed's were a manipulative bunch, and not in a smart way, but all to cater to their greed. She planned to take advantage of it.


	8. The Sorcerer Gods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Kaho would kill me for saying this, but that sounds more like a coincidence than anything. What would Tsubame have to gain from marrying into the family?"

**Chapter Eight  
The Sorcerer Gods  
**

"Yue! Kero! Are you in here?"

Tomoyo slipped off her shoes and closed the front door behind her. She went upstairs first, finding Kero in Sakura's room asleep on her bed. Giggling she went over and gently prodded him with a finger.

"Kero!" she sang.

He grumbled, swatting her finger away and causing her to laugh. She prodded him again and this time, he groaned before asking, "What do you want?"

Tomoyo composed herself again and said, "Nothing really. Sakura just told me to come check on you and Yue to make sure you two didn't wreck the house fighting or something."

Kero huffed and rolled his eyes. "That's something you don't have to worry about. Yue's no fun to mess with when he's sulking. So can I go back to sleep now?"

"Sulking?" Tomoyo asked. "About what?"

"Ask him yourself. I think he's outside, hopefully not sleep. You'll have better luck waking the dead," Kero said to her.

"Well then come on. Let's go see what's wrong," Tomoyo said grabbing Kero and pulling him out the room with her.

"Wait a minute!" Kero said. "What makes you think I want to go bother him?"

"Well I can't talk to Yue by myself. You know how he is," Tomoyo said as she dragged Kero downstairs and through the living room to the back door.

"But Sakura only told you to check on the house. It's still standing, why do you have to-"

"Yue," Tomoyo said, ignoring Kero's protests.

Yue didn't move a muscle from where he was leaning against the tree, eyes closed, arms folded under his chest, appearing to be sleep.

Tomoyo blinked. "Oh… Is he asleep?"

Kero rolled his eyes. "He's not sleep. Just trying to ignore you."

"How can you tell? He looks sleep to me."

"If he were asleep, his arms wouldn't be folded and he'd have an arm draped over his knee," Kero replied.

"Really? How do you know?"

"He's been doing it since we were created. It's just something that hasn't changed about him," Kero said and then flew up to Yue. "Stop ignoring her. The sooner you answer her, the sooner she'll leave."

Yue didn't say anything. He didn't even move, and Tomoyo began to wonder if Kero was mistaken and Yue really as asleep.

"What?"

Tomoyo jumped a little, not only because she had been surprised that he spoke, but because of his tone. She didn't detect the annoyed patience that was usually in his tone when he addressed her, nor was he wasting time trying to be polite by saying her name so that she at least knew he was talking to her. Kero was right. Yue did sound like he was in a bad mood.

"Um… Sakura… She sent me over to make sure things were alright is all, and Kero said you were in a bad mood so…"

Yue sighed in irritation, standing up from where he had been sitting. As he started back into the house he said, "The house is still standing and in relatively the same condition it was in before she left. My mood hardly has anything to do with it."

Tomoyo scowled. She would tolerate Yue's aloof nature, and she'd also tolerate his annoyed patience with her. But she would not tolerate Yue taking out his anger on her because he was in a bad mood. So she went to stand in front Yue, blocking him from getting into the house.

"Being in a bad mood does not give you the right to be mean," Tomoyo said crossing her arms. "Now you can sit there in a bad mood or we can have tea and talk about why you're in a bad mood."

Yue raised an eyebrow at her. Tomoyo wasn't sure what to make of it. He looked like he may have been amused, but there was also that haughty nature, that he couldn't believe she was daring to stop him.

He only sighed and didn't reply, starting to walk past her. Tomoyo followed. She would not let this go.

"Yue. Hold on a minute! Yue!" Tomoyo said following the moon guardian upstairs to his room, a place she normally never dared to step foot in, but this time she didn't care.

"Why are you being so persistent?" Yue snapped.

Tomoyo bit her lip. It was even harder to find her voice around Yue when he was in one of these moods.

Finally she said, "Because Sakura wouldn't want you to be like this, and I don't want her to be worried if I call and tell her that something's wrong with you."

It didn't have the effect she was going for. Instead Yue rolled his eyes, mumbling something under his breath, before deciding not to answer her. But it was enough. Tomoyo put two and two together and then said, "It has something to do with Sakura."

Yue didn't answer, but it was Kero who answered, "The two them have had a very complex relationship for a while. To say the least, Yue is jealous."

"Please," Yue muttered.

But Tomoyo gasped. She couldn't believe it. How had this gone under her radar for so long? How did she not know? She had to admit, the chemistry was there, in fact having Yue and Sakura in the same room with a bunch of people was a rather entertaining discourse. She remembered the first time she had ever witnessed it, after Sakura had started to get over her childish intimidation of Yue. If Tomoyo recalled, Yue had to have said something rude to someone and Sakura rolled her eyes dryly reprimanding Yue with a "For goodness sake Yue, would it kill you to be nice?" It surprised everyone in the room at the time, for Sakura was never one to comment on Yue's lack of caring for other people's feelings. And if Yue had been surprised, whatever scathing comment he had come back at Sakura with covered it well. Tomoyo found it funny. Whether the two were aware of it or not, they bickered like a married couple at times, which was why Tomoyo felt so stupid.

"Wait a minute," Tomoyo said blinking at Kero. "You mean to tell me Yue is in love with Sakura?"

"More or less," Kero said. "And vise verse."

"Then why," Tomoyo looked back at Yue. "Wait a minute! Do you mean to say the two of you like each other? Wow… That makes so much sense now… Then wait a minute why is Sakura with Naoki?"

"Because Sakura and Yue are both stubborn, scared idiots. That's what," Kero muttered.

"I'm standing right here," Yue said as though he could care less that they were talking about him.

"Well, aren't you going to do something?" Tomoyo asked going to sit next to Yue at the window.

"She apparently likes Naoki a lot. What is there to do… if I wanted to do anything?"

He was trying to act like he could care less, but Tomoyo knew that tone. There was the undertone of desperation. Yue had to be giving that he was actually talking to her, hadn't thrown her out his room yet.

"Well, if you know Sakura, then you know that she doesn't just throw away her feelings like that. If she had any, they're still there."

"Apparently," Yue muttered in obvious sarcasm.

Tomoyo waved her hand dismissively. "Sakura's just trying to fill a void. Girls do it all the time. I'm sure she's just as conflicted as you are. You should tell her when she comes back from her vacation. She'll probably be surprised. She might even initially reject you, but she'll come around if she still cares about you as much as Kero says she does."

Kero snorted. There was no question about how Sakura felt and quite honestly, there was no question for Yue either. The sexual tension that sometimes charged the house was almost tangible. It sometimes drove Kero as crazy as it did them. The problem was that Yue had a lot of baggage and Sakura wasn't aggressive enough to force him to talk about, nor did he think she would really know how to handle it being as young and innocent as she was. He wished it weren't so, but he had a feeling this was all going to go downhill before the situation finally resolved itself.

If Yue had a response, they didn't get to hear it, for the phone rang at that moment. Kero answered it since Yue hated using the phone.

" _Where's Sakura?"_

"Eriol?" Kero asked.

" _Hello Kero,"_ Eriol said. _"Is Sakura there?"_

"No. On vacation with her boyfriend. What's up?"

Eriol cursed on the other end, sighing as he said, _"When will she be back?"_

"I don't know. In a few days. Where are you?"

" _On my way over."_

"You're on your way to Japan!" Kero said. This got both Yue and Tomoyo's attention.

" _No. I'm already in Japan. I took the next flight. I'm on my way to the house."_

"Say what?"

" _Trust me when I say this is important."_

With that, Kero was left listening to the dial tone, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

"Kero, was that Eriol?"

Kero nodded, putting the phone back on the receiver.

"What did he want?" Yue asked.

"He's on his way here."

* * *

Sakura sighed. She should have done this before they left, but Misa had so many swimsuits that in the end, Sakura picked the ten she liked best and took them with her and she still couldn't choose between them. She sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror with one of the said bikinis. It was dark pink and the top was halter style. She liked it, but she also really wanted to wear that white one with the off shoulder sleeves.

"Ugh. Only I could make choosing a bikini difficult," Sakura muttered.

"If it helps, I like that one," Naoki said from where he was standing, having just come out the bathroom. His shirt was open, Sakura observed. She was so distracted by this fact, or rather his exposed chest underneath, that she almost didn't catch his next comment. "It has a nice view."

She almost dismissed the comment, not particularly caring what he meant by it. But after a moment, it dawned on her what he was talking about. Sure enough, the top accentuated her breast, making for what Naoki had just called a "nice view." She looked at him, expression somewhere between mortified and pleased, and then frustrated as he tried not to laugh at her.

"I think I'll change into the other one just for that," Sakura muttered going to grab the one with the less eye popping view.

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him before she could grab it.

"Let go," she said trying to be serious, but failing when she laughed.

"Don't try to act like that. I was just playing."

"No you weren't."

"You caught me. I wasn't," Naoki admitted in her ear. "So what?"

Sakura felt her entire body heat up and the fact that she was in her bikini didn't help matters.

"Naoki…"

He pulled her in for kiss then, rather roughly, and causing Sakura to have to grip his arms to steady her. He pulled away slightly, opting for small pecks to her lips before taking one of her lips between his and sucking on it gently before letting go and pressing his lips against hers again. Maybe it was because she was only in her bikini, but this kiss was accompanied by a new sensation, one Sakura wasn't accustomed to. It was normal for her to feel nice, tingly all over when Naoki kissed her, but she was feeling something else, in her lower regions between her legs, and it was beginning to frustrate her.

In effort to relief it or at the very least forget about it, she pressed her lips harder against his, intensifying their lip lock. She fell when the back of her legs hit the bed, falling on her elbows to catch herself. It was at this point that the thought crossed her mind that she should probably remind Naoki and herself that they were supposed to be going out, that she should really stop this before it went a little too far, but Sakura found herself instead inviting him, by licking her swollen lips and not trying to move from how she had fallen. It again briefly crossed her mind again to stop this, but she found herself not caring.

Naoki climbed over her, kissing her again and Sakura fell all the way on her back. He was squeezing one of her breasts again, like before they left, but this time, she didn't push him away. This time, she wanted it and something more…

His phone rang and he sighed at the tune before reaching onto the nightstand to answer it.

"You manage to bother me at the most inopportune times. I really do hate you sometimes." Sakura heard Naoki say to whoever it was as he rolled over to lay on his back. Sakura was guessing it was Misa, and it certainly was inopportune, though in a way she was a little relieved. What in the world had gotten into her?

"Depends on what the favor is," Naoki said into the phone pausing as Misa replied on the other end. "You want me to do what? Misa, what part of I'm on vacation don't you get?"

Sakura heard the woman giggle through the phone. Naoki rolled his eyes.

"I suppose not… I'll get to it in a few days…" Naoki rolled his eyes. "Sure you do."

Naoki hung up the phone and sighed.

"Is Misa still in China?" Sakura asked.

"Yes and she needs me to do her a favor. I managed to convince her it could wait a few days," Naoki replied and then sighed, "Otherwise, I'd be headed to do it for her now."

Sakura paused looking at Naoki curiously for a moment.

"What?" he asked pulling her over to lie next to him.

Sakura shook her head. "Nothing, just… You really care about Misa don't you?"

Naoki laughed. "I like to try to convince myself that I don't, but yes." His face became solemn and serious. "People don't understand it, our relationship that is."

Sakura looked at him and said, "I don't see anything wrong with it."

"Maybe, but the way your guardian reacted is not the first time someone has."

"About what?"

"I'd do just about anything for Misa if she says the word. It's always been that way since she was fourteen, even during the times we couldn't stand each other. Can you live with that?"

Sakura frowned, not at what he said for she didn't mind. She didn't just expect him to stop watching out for Misa because she was with him. But why did that sound so familiar? Why did she understand what he meant, but on a deeper level than just surface? Why was it resonating with her?

"I understand," she finally said trying to push her questions out her mind. It was nothing alarming, just something to think about really.

Naoki looked at her, with a penetrating gaze that made Sakura seem to think he was trying to tell her something more than what he was actually saying. But what more could all this mean? What was he trying to say by telling her all of this?

"I know you do," he finally said. "I was just making sure."

* * *

Eriol hardly greeted them as he came into the house, pausing only to remove his shoes before heading into the living room, a large book under his arm.

"Eriol… What's going on?" Tomoyo asked as he breezed by her.

"I'd like to know the answer to that question," Nakuru said just getting in the doorway.

"You mean you don't know?" Kero asked.

Spinel flew in behind Nakuru and said, "All we know is that one moment Eriol is in the library and the next he's booking the next flight to Japan."

"It must be serious then," Kero said heading into the living where Eriol was and had placed a book down on the table.

"It is," Eriol said flipping through the book. "Remember I said I didn't think anything like what we're facing with Tsubame had happened before?"

"Yes," Kero said sitting in front of Eriol with his arms crossed.

"I was wrong," he said pointing to a page. "Look."

Yue, Kero, and Tomoyo looked at the page. Yue scoffed.

"The gods? They're just myths."

"I thought so too," Eriol said. "But it's not. These 'gods,' powerful sorcerers and sorceress from another world like Tsubame in all probability, came to take over and awed by their power, people worshipped them and we know them as the ancient gods."

"Are you telling me that's what Tsubame's trying to accomplish?" Kero asked. "How?"

"Well she's certainly less subtle than the gods were. But I think that's more out of necessity, not to mention she has freely admitted that her powers are diminished, though how much is questionable since the cards didn't work on her," Eriol replied.

"Necessity?"

"In an industrial and scientifically based world, not many people believe in magic. They'd call her delusional. So she has to go about it much more subtle way, a safer way, especially since her magic is diminished," Eriol explained. "So that girl Syoaran married…"

"You think she has something to do with Tsubame?"

"I doubt it. Kaho would kill me for saying this, but that sounds more like a coincidence than anything. What would Tsubame have to gain from marrying into the family? She's an outsider. It would be years before she could get anywhere that way, especially considering…"

"What?" Kero asked though Yue seemed to have caught on.

"The gods had to defeat their predecessors, the Titans, to become gods," Yue said. "I'm trusting this to be symbolic?"

Eriol nodded. "Outwit would more so be the word. Saturn was tricked into eating a rock so he wouldn't destroy Zeus and Nut outwitted Ra by giving birth during five extra days of the year. In both cases we're looking at a passive permission type thing happening and that's what worries me…"

"What do you mean by that? What's that got to do with anything?" Kero asked.

"Someone, and I'm not sure who, can essentially give Tsubame permission to be here, permission to act on her will and give her back all her powers. And it doesn't have to be directly. Whoever this person is can do it without even knowing they did it and indirectly give Tsubame permission to take over so to speak. Of course it doesn't have to be one person. It could be a group of people and that's the part where everything gets complicated."

"That's ridiculous," Yue muttered. "There's hasn't been a magical monarchy since the Roman Empire."

"Which is why this stint is so bold. But Tsubame obviously knows something we don't. It's too much to assume without knowing what her real plan is. The point is that this is much more serious than a powerful sorceress with some ridiculous ambition. Tsubame knows what she's getting into, and she probably knows how to pull it off."

"So what now?" Kero asked.

"I talk to Sakura first and then we _try_ to decide on a course of action," Eriol determined.


	9. The Sorcerer Gods Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emotions were involved in this, and for once Sakura couldn't trust that Yue was making this based on his cold analyzed logic. He denied it, but she got the feeling there was a little jealousy involved.

**Chapter Nine  
The Sorcerer Gods Part II  
**

"You want me to kill _Li Meling_?"

This was one hell of a way to come back from a vacation, playing assassin for Tsubame. The problem was he wasn't sure why she was giving him this target.

"Yeap."

"Why?"

"Because I promised Jonathon Reed that I would kill Li Syaoran," Tsubame replied with a smile. "You're going to miss your target."

Naoki tilted his head at her. This was the first time he had seen Tsubame in roughly two months. He had been surprised to see her sitting calmly in the living room, not dressed in her kimono and without the face make-up but still disguised as Misa since it was harder to hide her magical signature when she wasn't in disguise.

He scowled at her words and said, "I never miss a target."

"Exactly. That's why the timing has to be perfect so that it only appears that you missed your target. But that's easy enough for me to arrange," Tsubame said shrugging. "You just be listening out for my call. Now come sit here Naoki," Tsubame added patting the spot next to her.

Naoki did so and Tsubame scooted closer to him.

"I'm surprised," she said. "Are you so enthralled with that card mistress that you no longer desire my company?"

"I'm allowed to have a lover. You've certainly had your share," Naoki pointed out.

"Of course I have and of course you're allowed. It's just been a while since I actually had to be worried about actual competition, especially if she's able to keep you so enthralled without putting out any sexual favors… Yet you're so loyal to her, almost as loyal as you are to me."

"Is this your way of telling me you're jealous?" Naoki asked.

"Of course I'm not jealous. I'm just wondering how long you think this will last when your lover figures out who you really are," Tsubame said and Naoki was quite positive that if this had been a bench they were sitting on instead of a couch, Tsubame would have been swinging her legs back and forth.

Naoki shook his head. "Haven't thought that far to tell you the truth. Why? Don't tell me you actually disapprove," Naoki said in a way that could have been mistaken for teasing.

Tsubame looked at him for a moment and then stood up. "Do whatever. Tell her if you want. I don't really care so long as you don't let her get in the way."

"She won't."

Tsubame didn't answer, only said, "I'll call you when it's time."

* * *

Fate must hate her Sakura decided. She was back home replenished and happy as a result of her vacation, planning on spending the rest of the evening do nothing particularly important when Eriol came from the living room saying that he needed to talk to her. She had been surprised at first. When had Eriol gotten here? But he only said he'd explain later, plopped her down on the couch and proceeded to explain the truth behind the myths of the Egyptian and Greek gods, that Tsubame was just like them, from another world and desiring to rule theirs.

"But why are you telling me this. If that's the case, what can I do about it? I haven't seen Tsubame in almost three months. That's no help."

"That's true in a way, but if I were Tsubame, I'd be looking for a way to get the most powerful sorceress in this world on my side or at the very least out of my hair."

"So what are you saying?"

"Just be careful. Tsubame can be anyone. More than likely she's using a female disguise, though I wouldn't rule out a male one considering her powers."

"I would," Sakura replied.

Everyone in the room looked at her in wonder, but it was Spinel who asked, "Why do you say that?"

Sakura blushed twiddling her fingers a little as she said "Because Tsubame just seemed like the type of woman who takes a lot of pride in being a woman. Magic or not, I don't think she'd go through the trouble of looking like she did unless she really wanted people to notice the fact that she was a woman. So even if it would throw people off, I don't think she'd ever disguise herself as a man."

"That may be true, but uou still need to be careful of anyone who you think is suspicious or gives you a bad feeling," Eriol insisted.

"Suspicious how?"

"I can't really say," Eriol said quietly. "And that's what makes this so dangerous. I suppose all you can do is to make a note of anyone you just happened to meet around the time Tsubame showed her face."

"I meet a lot of people" Sakura pointed out. "That doesn't help."

Yue, who had been mostly silent and who Sakura wasn't even sure was paying attention considering he seemed distracted, looked at Sakura and asked pointedly, "Didn't you meet Naoki the day after you met Tsubame?"

"Yeah, but Tomoyo had been planning that thing for months. All the models on there had been to practice and rehearsals at least a few weeks ahead of time. There's no way she could have gotten herself in there so fast," said Sakura.

"You can't seriously be that naïve," Yue muttered in an exasperated tone.

Sakura snapped her head in Yue's direction, and Kero sighed. This was starting to get old.

"I'm not naïve!"

"You are if you think that's a good enough reason that your boyfriend had nothing to do with this. It's not that hard for anyone with the least bit of magic to confound a few people to give themselves an alibi. You should know that considering you've had to do it before," Yue pointed out.

Sakura flushed in anger and embarrassment; embarrassed because Yue had a point, and she honestly hadn't thought of it that way, but angry because he had to remind her so rudely. Either way, she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of knowing that she saw his point.

"So what? Besides, I'm positive that Tsubame is using a female guise."

"Last I checked, his friend Misa is a female."

"Tsubame didn't have anyone with her. She was by herself."

"You don't know that."

"Neither do you."

"Your silly crush on that guy is keeping you from seeing reason."

"It's not a silly crush! You're just jealous."

Eriol looked back and forth between the two, glancing at Nakuru, who was snickering, and Spinel who looked just as baffled as he was. So Eriol turned to look at Kero, who shook his head. This could potentially go on all day.

"Don't tell me you aren't even the least bit suspicious of him. Don't you sometimes wonder how he seems to just be able to know things about you?" Yue asked.

Sakura bit her lip. So maybe she did sometimes wonder about Naoki's intuitive nature, and sometimes the thought did cross her mind that maybe Naoki had some limited form of magic. In fact his aura always felt similar to a low-grade sorcerer. But Sakura would know for sure if he were dangerous to her, detect that he was using her. Her magic had never failed her in that respect before.

"Okay. Maybe," Sakura admitted. "But he doesn't seem like the minion type."

Yue rolled his eyes, muttering something about Sakura reading too much manga and watching too much television.

"Minion type?" Eriol asked looking amused and thankfully stopping Yue from asking himself.

"What I mean is he doesn't seem the follower type," Sakura corrected. "I mean, he doesn't seem like the type to be uncooperative but… Whatever. So maybe there is a possibility that he may have some magic, but I would know if he had anything to do with Tsubame. I've always had some clue before, haven't I?"

"Well there's a simple way to handle this," Kero said, for Sakura was looking at Yue now, and he doubted the his brother had anything nice to say. "Go ask him."

"Ask him?" everyone said looking at Kero.

"Sure. I mean Sakura's got to tell him sooner or later if she plans on making her relationship with him long term, so why not sooner?"

Sakura was silent. The thought had honestly never occurred to her to tell Naoki about her magic at anytime because honestly she hadn't really thought of a long term relationship with him. Sakura sighed. She wasn't in it for the sake of a fling, but she hadn't thought about being with Naoki beyond dating him. Would they really be together long enough for Sakura to have to even consider telling him at all?

"You okay Sakura?" Eriol asked snapping Sakura out her thoughts.

"Huh?" Sakura asked.

"You're kind of quiet over there. Is everything alright?"

"Yes. I just… Are you sure Kero?"

"Why not?" Kero said. "If anything, it'll give you a chance to figure out what his intentions are anyway. What do you think Yue?"

Yue was silent for a long time, arm crossed, glancing at Sakura and then everyone else before saying, "I'll go with her."

He stood up and looked at Sakura waiting expectantly for him to follow.

"Now?" Sakura asked.

"Why not?" Yue asked already in his false form and starting to leave.

Sakura stood up, scrambling after him and saying, "Wait Yue!"

As the left Eriol looked at Kero and said, "Do I want to know?"

Kero sighed, resting a paw on his forehead as he said in exasperation, "It's complicated."

* * *

Sakura hated these moments. She could feel it in the air again. That charged atmosphere that never failed to set them both off, so far to only get angry at each other about one thing or another. It all depended on what Yue said to her, if he said anything to her on the way to Naoki's apartment.

"You know, I can go by myself," Sakura suggested.

Yue just glanced at her and continued ahead of her. Sakura crossed her arms. There was no point trying to argue with him. So despite the still charged atmosphere, she didn't protest him walking her over and after a while, she forgot why she wanted to go by herself in the first place. She forgot how nice it felt to take a late night walk with Yue when she insisted on going somewhere in the middle of the night.

"We haven't done this in a while," she pointed out. "We used to do it all the time."

"Before Naoki came along."

Sakura didn't miss the tone in which Yue had spoken. In fact she suspected Yue intended for her to.

"Does it still bother you that much?"

"I just have a bad feeling about all this is all."

"I don't feel anything particularly good or bad about it. That's odd. Usually we don't feel too different about situations.

"That's true," Yue said simple, not elaborating any further.

Sakura bit her lip. "Then why…?"

Sakura trailed off, not because of Yue's silence, but because somewhere along the way, she had managed to entangle her hand in Yue's and either he hadn't noticed or he didn't mind… Uh-oh.

"There was a time you trusted my word without hesitation. What's so different about this?"

Sakura looked down at her feet as she reflected upon the words. He was right. There was a time when she would have believe him on his word, especially because when Yue decided to speak on a matter, he thought what his opinion or observation whatever it was, was important enough to say to begin with. What was different now? Nothing really. Yue was probably right about Naoki having magic. That was the reason they were headed to Naoki's house anyway, but if anything was different, it was the fact was that this was about a lot more than just a potential threat. Emotions were involved in this, and for once Sakura couldn't trust that Yue was making this based on his cold analyzed logic. He denied it, but she got the feeling there was a little jealousy involved. That and…

"I'm not the little girl who needs you to tell me what to do and how to do it anymore. I'm glad you're concerned, but I can take care of myself sometimes."

Sakura smiled a little, trying to perhaps soften Yue up a little, but it failed to do so.

Instead he asked, "Which floor?"

Sakura looked up. Indeed they had arrived at Naoki's apartment building, and she was still holding Yue's hand. Gently, she let go of it figuring it would be a bad idea to show up holding Yue's hand when Naoki opened the door. She didn't answer his question, just went to the elevator and pressed the button for the appropriate floor.

She knocked on the door when they arrived prepared to wait a while since it was late, but was surprised when the door opened right away.

Naoki looked a little surprised at first and then said, "Miss me already? It's only been a few hours since I dropped you off."

Sakura blushed at the comment saying, "Something actually came up."

It was then that Naoki looked up at Yue and, Sakura wasn't quite sure, but something was exchanged between them and finally both nodded to each other.

"I was hoping you were still here, that you hadn't gone off to do whatever for Misa," Sakura said as Naoki let them both in.

"She doesn't need me that soon. Just on standby you could say," Naoki said. "So what brings you here so late? Not that I mind, but this is unusual for you."

"I just needed to ask you something," Sakura said as she sat down on the sofa in the living room, but seeing Yue wasn't sitting Naoki gestured for him to do so.

"I'll stand," Yue said simply.

"Don't mind him. He likes to look intimidating," Sakura replied giggling and ignoring the sharp look Yue sent her way.

Naoki looked at them with a raised eyebrow, but said nothing, only shaking his head as he went to get some tea.

"You don't have to," Sakura said.

"It's okay. You look like you need it. Besides, I was preparing myself some before you came," Naoki replied pouring three cups of tea and then reaching into a pantry to grab a bag of gourmet cookies.

"Misa left these when she went to China," he said referring to the unopened cookies. "I don't really like them, but I figure you might."

He sat the tray in front of them.

"Now what's this about?"

"A lot… Not all of it concerning you. Just…"

"Yes?"

Sakura had tried to rehearse how she would say it to him earlier, but she had been distracted talking to Yue on the way. She knew she didn't want to make it obvious though. She would see how he reacted, if he could figure out where she was going. Then if she got the vibe that he had no clue what she was talking about or that she may be wrong, she could play the whole thing off. But suddenly she found herself unsure.

"It's really stupid but-"

"We suspect you may be a sorcerer."

"Pardon?"

"Yue!"

Sakura sighed. There were times when Yue could be so poetic and careful with words, easily putting a person into a false sense of security and subtly getting exactly what he wanted out of them without the use of force and without them knowing they had told him exactly what he wanted to know. Sakura should know. He always used it on her, and she suspected he found it amusing. Then, other times, he was like this.

"I figured if worse comes to worst you can use Erase."

"That's meddling with people's memories."

"Don't act like you haven't used your magic for something like this before."

"Not on family and close friends!"

Both stopped when they heard Naoki laughing at them.

"What?" Sakura asked confused, while Yue asked out of irritation.

"Has anyone ever recorded the two of you and let you watch yourselves? Watching you two is quite entertaining."

Sakura made a mental note to ask Tomoyo later.

"Misa would be having a field day if she were here. She's always been the teasing type," Naoki said and then slyly remarked, "I am depending on how amusing I find a situation, but alas I don't find it too appealing to tease my girlfriend on her questionable relationship with her guardian."

Sakura blushed, partly out of embarrassment and partly out of guilt that it was Naoki who had pointed it out.

"Now back to Yue's question..." Naoki began.

"It was really stupid, just a joke…"

"I was wondering when you'd figure it out."

Sakura's blush and stuttered excuses went away while Yue's bored expression became something of intrigue.

"Wait… Figure it out?" Sakura asked.

"You knew who she was from the beginning then," Yue asked.

"Who she was? No. What she was? Yes. It's pretty obvious. Her aura's so vibrant even a baby could have told you she was a sorceress."

Sakura could practically sense Yue's sarcastic comment before he spoke it.

She wasn't disappointed for Yue said dryly, "You knew she was a sorceress, but didn't know who she was? Somehow, I find that incredibly hard to believe."

"Stop being so rude."

"It's alright Sakura. You'll have to forgive the fact that until now our family rather stay on the outer fringes of magical society. Most run of the mill magicians don't know your name, just the rumor of a little girl who holds the most powerful magic in the world," Naoki said and then added, "Of course she's not so little anymore."

If Yue felt guilty for accusing Naoki, he didn't show it and only continued to glare at Naoki.

"If you must know, it wasn't until Misa told me that I was aware of it. Of the two of us, she's the nosier."

Sakura was at a loss for words, but Yue didn't seem to be effected and said, "So Misa…"

"We're come from the same family, not one that anyone would know or care about right now mind you. So I guess you could say we're somewhat related," Naoki said.

Sakura finally got a hold of herself, getting over her initial shock and saying, "So you knew from the beginning that I was a sorceress? Is that why... why you...?"

"If I were interested in just your magic, haven't I had ample opportunity to take it or do what I please?"

He had a point, Sakura thought, but Yue obviously still didn't buy it.

"Then what other reason is there?"

Naoki smirked, while looking at Sakura. Then he said, "For exactly what I told her the day we met. I thought she was cute."

Sakura blushed. Yue rolled his eyes.

"Can the two of you flirt after I leave?"

"Sakura's right. You are grumpy," Naoki said smiling a little as he glanced at Yue.

Sakura giggled, but seeing that Yue was indeed getting impatient, Sakura decided it was time to leave, despite Naoki's insistence that she stay. He gave her a peck on the cheek before they left and Sakura was aware that he watched them go to the elevator before closing the door behind them. The ride down was quiet, more so because Sakura was waiting expectantly for Yue to say something.

Finally he said, "If you must know, I don't like this."

"So you think he's lying."

"Just because a person's not lying doesn't mean they're telling the truth either," Yue said.

Sakura huffed. So difficult… "Guilty until proven innocent?"

"If I thought that I'd be telling you to break up with him."

"Then what are you telling me Yue?"

Yue stopped outside the door to Naoki's apartment to look at her, smiling a little as he moved one of her stray bangs out her face.

"The same thing I'm always telling you." He kissed her forehead. "Be careful."


	10. Sexual Frustrations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura didn't intend for him to go anywhere. He wasn't pushing her away this time. She had a point to prove, and Yue was going to let her prove it.

**Chapter Ten  
** **Sexual Frustrations**

"Why do you shun your magic?"

It was the first question Naoki had asked about her magic and nothing had changed between them because of it. However Naoki knowing made her feel lighter. Sakura didn't know how much hiding her magic from people affected her. She had thought about it before a few days ago; how if she ever got around to getting married or in a serious long term relationship, how would she tell her future partner about her magic. It was only something she tossed about in her head every now and then, but it had really been coming to the forefront of her mind lately.

She had been saved the trouble of trying to explain anything by this new predicament, but what if Naoki was a sorcerer? What if he had no clue about magic? How would have ever handled it then? After pondering that thought, it made Sakura realize that besides the circle of friends that knew around the time she was capturing and changing the cards, no one else knew. Regardless of her ponderings though, Naoki hadn't asked about her magic in the last few days. It just was and force once, Sakura was glad it wasn't playing as a factor. Therefore, his question did surprise her a bit.

"Shun it?" Sakura said rolling over on the grass to face Naoki.

His eyes were closed, his head leaning to the side, in her direction, shielded by the shade of the tree, while Sakura preferred the warmth of the evening summer sun.

"Besides your aura, I wouldn't know you were a sorceress. You just don't have the air of one and trust me I've had the pleasure and displeasure of meeting many," he added dryly.

Sakura giggled a little at his tone and then said, "Oh… I just use magic when I need it. I try not to in my daily life. Sometime it takes the reward out of doing things with my hands."

Naoki huffed a little. "What reward is there in washing dishes with your hands?"

Sakura laughed. Yue had asked her the same question at one time or another. "None I guess, but it makes me feel normal."

Naoki opened his eyes on that one. "Normal?"

Sakura nodded. Naoki frowned, turning on his side and propping his head on his hand. Then he laughed a little and said, "I think you would feel more normal if you embraced it more; your magic I mean."

"Embraced it more?" Sakura asked slowly.

Naoki nodded as he reached a hand over to play with a lock of stray hair that had gotten in her face.

"Magic is part of you. Trying to deny that part of you is what would make you not normal. So what you're different than everyone else? Isn't everyone?" As he continued to play with her hair, Naoki said, "You hair has gotten longer."

"I know," Sakura said taking the lock from him. "It's about time I get a haircut. I just haven't made the time since I got back."

"Don't cut it. I like it," Naoki said scooting closer to her. "It's more fun to play with."

Sakura nodded a bit absently, growing ever more aware of the closing distance between them. Lately it didn't take much for her to start to feel that heat, that odd tingling sensation she got whenever she was around Naoki. The more it grew, the more and more she was ready to toss her inhibitions and fears aside, but that brought in an entirely new fear. God it was so confusing. How could she want something so much, but be so apprehensive about it at the same time?

"So how would I embrace my magic more," she said in effort to distract herself. "Use it more?"

"Not really," Naoki said, thankfully stopping where he was in proximity to her. "Just stop trying so hard not to use it is all. Whenever you feel like you want to use it, use it. It'll make you feel better about yourself. You'll start to feel like you won't have to try so hard to be normal if you accept that you're not."

Sakura heard what he said and would probably reflect upon it later, but she had been more focused on watching his lips as he said it. She wanted them on her, not just on her own lips, but on other parts of her also. She wondered how it would feel to…

"Sakura. Are you alright? You look a bit flushed."

Sakura blinked out her thoughts, flushing more at being snapped out of what had been turning into a rather lewd daydream. It was getting hard to handle this anymore…

"Maybe you need to get out of the sun," he said grabbing her and flipping her around so that she was now under the shade of the tree, wrapped in his arms.

It only made her predicament worse, and unfortunately for her, Naoki seemed to catch on.

"Or maybe," he whispered, nipping her ear as he did so. "It's not the sun at all."

He started to kiss slowly down her neck, causing her to gasp in surprise. She wasn't quite used to the sensation. It felt odd at first, like an electric tickle if she had to describe it. But then she began to feel it, not only in her neck, but it was causing a warm, tingling sensation in her lower regions, the same feeling she had first experienced at the hotel when they were on vacation, before Misa interrupted them. She gasped again, this time in delight at the pleasurable sensation it sent through her.

"Ah," she gasped as Naoki continued down her neck, not only kissing, but sucking as he went down her neck and to her collarbone and then going back up the other side, planting kisses on her jaw line before capturing her lips.

Sakura hardly knew what to do with herself as she kissed him back, trying to control the burning hunger inside her, a hunger she might have given into if part of her weren't aware of the fact that they were in the middle of a park. Naoki seemed to realize that too and so pulled away from her, with one final kiss.

"It's getting late," he said lifting off of her and standing up.

As he brushed himself off, Sakura couldn't help but frown at the disappearance of the warmth that had just been coming off of him. She reached her hand up when he reached his own down to help her up.

"Come on," Naoki said sighing. "We better get you home before those guardians of yours get too worried."

* * *

"So, what is it that you need to talk about?" Tomoyo asked excitedly. "It's been so long since we just had a sleepover for girl talk all night since you've been so busy with Naoki. But don't worry. I'm not mad at you for it. I wish I could find a boyfriend."

Sakura blushed. "Actually, that's what I need to talk to you about."

Tomoyo grinned. "Do tell then."

Sakura didn't know where to start. She had called Tomoyo the night before intending to talk about it, before figuring out that this wasn't the kind of topic she could talk about over the phone, much less where Kero or God forbid Yue might hear her. So they decided to schedule a sleepover. They hadn't had the chance to do anything like this in a while anyway. But this was going to be awkward, at least for Sakura.

"Well… I don't know…"

"Everything's fine right?" Tomoyo pried.

"Oh yeah. Perfect actually. Naoki's great. I really like him and… well I think that might be part of the problem."

Tomoyo shook her head and smiled as she grabbed one of the mini sandwiches she had prepared for them off the platter.

"Okay Sakura. I can usually figure things out. But you're being really vague right now. Mind giving me more to work with?"

Sakura sighed. There was one sentence to sum all this up. She just had to get the nerve to say it. Okay, Sakura thought to herself as she tried to put on a straight face and control the blush that came to her face.

"I…" Sakura groaned. This was hard. She took a deep breath, deciding to just blurt it out. "I think I want to have sex with Naoki."

Tomoyo looked at her, seeming shocked for a moment before grinning and saying, "Oh my God. This really isn't something we could have talked about over the phone. We're going to be up later than I thought. We'll need more snacks."

"Tomoyo! I'm serious! I don't know what to do. I've never felt like this before. Sometimes it feels like it's all I think about when I'm with him, even if I'm not trying. You have to help me!"

"Well," Tomoyo began, still relatively calm about the entire situation. "At least you're aware of the problem, if we can call it a problem."

"You don't call being all… I don't know…"

"I can't believe it. Never did I think there would come a day when my innocent little Sakura of all people would come to me all hot and bothered."

Sakura sighed, becoming a little impatient with her best friend. She had been willing to suffer through Tomoyo's initial teasing, but this was getting ridiculous. She was serious.

"Fine. I think the real question is Sakura, are you sure that's what you want?"

"What I want?" Sakura asked.

"Well yeah. Sure you feel this way now, but do you think you're truly ready to take such a big step? You've got to take into account how you'll feel about it after the fact."

"After the fact?"

Tomoyo sighed knowingly. "Really Sakura, sex isn't as big of a deal as people make it out to be. The results sometimes, yes, but sex itself? People do it every day."

"Then if it is no big deal, what is the big deal?"

"That you're a virgin and you're only a virgin once Sakura. You can't take that back. I mean what if this relationship with you and Naoki doesn't work out? What if you end up breaking up? Will you regret that your first time was with him or have fond memories of it? Of course, that all depends on if the relationship ends on a good note or a sour one. But he's a good guy, so you don't have to worry about that."

"But what if I do decide… How do I go about telling him that?"

Tomoyo giggled and with a wink said, "You could just show up at his house in lingerie and that would get the point across pretty well I think."

"Tomoyo!"

Tomoyo laughed. "Just kidding, but don't worry about it so much Sakura. You have to remember that while this may be your first time, it's way more than likely not his. Trust me, by now, he knows how to read your cues. I mean he hasn't pressured you this far, has he?"

Sakura shook her head. He might take things just a tad too far every now and then, but he never pressured her. She was feeling the pressure from herself, coming from a certain new awareness of these odd feelings she was having in her body.

Sakura sighed. "This is so complicated."

"Of course it is. It always is the first time around. I went through the same thing. Lucky for you, you have me to talk to!"

"Yeah. I guess so… Wait a minute! When did you…?"

Tomoyo giggled, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks. "Not too long ago. I met someone about a year ago around the time I started preparing for my line's debut."

"What? And you didn't tell me!"

"I was busy. It must have slipped my mind. Besides, it doesn't matter. We're not involved anymore."

Sakura scowled. "You've been holding out on me."

"So have you. You're so secretive about your relationship with Naoki. But since you spilled some of the goods, I guess…" Tomoyo trailed off.

Sakura threw a pillow at her. "Stop kidding around. You had a relationship I didn't even know about. Now spill!"

"It wasn't that long really. Just a fling. But if you need to know, it was last spring…"

* * *

This was one of their good days… kind of. Kero was sleeping and since Sakura didn't really feel like sleeping, she had gone downstairs to watch something on TV. Yue was already down there, with a book on the couch. Usually she just left him alone, but he didn't seem to mind when she curled up on the other end of the couch, nor when she turned on the television. Eventually though, Sakura turned it off. Had there always been so many sexual implications in the shows she watched? She hadn't noticed it before. She held in a groan. She felt like a hormonal teenage boy or something. Never did Sakura think that she would ever be so sexually charged. It was agitating.

"You seem bothered about something?"

Normally she cherished the moments that Yue was concerned about her and that had been especially so lately when with this new development in her relationship with Naoki. But in her sexually agitated state, and with the tense atmosphere between them as it was, the atmosphere that usually meant one word could mean the difference between them being angry at each other or completely civil, the concern just served to agitate her more. Why did he hide it? Why wouldn't he just outright tell her how much he cared about her damn it?

"It's nothing," she managed instead of her internal tirade.

Yue smiled a little. "You've always been a bad liar."

"I don't think you really want to know Yue," Sakura said sighing shifting to lean her head on her hand, exposing her neck.

Yue started to go back to read his book, but then he stopped, looking over the top of his book again to stare at her.

"What?" she asked.

"What's that?"

"Where?" Sakura asked.

"On your neck," Yue said tersely.

Sakura touched her neck and then gasped a little. She had forgotten they were there in all honesty, three swollen red marks at the bottom of her neck from where Naoki had kissed and sucked her neck there. She hadn't been concerned about it when she saw it earlier. Most of her tops covered them. But she had forgotten how low cut her night gown was.

"Never mind," Yue said going back to his book having seemed to have figured it out on his own.

Sakura could tell though that Yue hadn't really gone back to reading his book. She sighed. She really hadn't meant for him to see those.

"Great," she muttered. "Now you're in a bad mood."

Yue scoffed. "I'm not. Who cares? What you do isn't any of my business."

"And that's what bothers you the most huh?" Sakura asked, her agitation causing her to push the matter when normally she would have let it be at Yue's comment. Yue didn't answer her, but that only further frustrated her so she continued on. "Why are you holding it back from me? If you're jealous, just admit it."

"Of what?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Don't act like it doesn't exist. We can hardly be in the same room anymore without the sexual frustration levels shooting through the roof."

It wasn't like her to be this open about such a sensitive topic, but Sakura's own pent up sexual frustration was getting to her. Had it always been like this when she and Yue were in the same room? And if it was, why hadn't she been aware of it before? Maybe she just hadn't been completely aware of what it was. This was worse than being around Naoki lately. At least there was no seemingly invisible wall stopping the two of them.

His reaction surprised her. She expected him to maybe leave the room in a huff, and they would be mad at each other for a while before getting over it. Instead he put his book on the coffee table, crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at her, while letting out what might have been a chuckle.

"And what do you know about sexual frustration?"

He was mocking her, and they both knew it. Sakura didn't appreciate it though.

"What do I know? I don't know. I only have an older boyfriend," she began in a sarcastic tone. "I'm not ten anymore."

Yue didn't say anything to her, but the slight twitch of his lips said it all. She growled a little, wanting nothing more than to wipe that smug expression off his face. That was one of her problems before. He treated her like a little girl, saw her like a little girl, and she wasn't that anymore. She'd prove it.

As Yue uncrossed his arms and reached across to get his book, Sakura got up on her hands and made her way across the couch to Yue, doing something she wished she had the guts to do months ago. Maybe she wouldn't be having this problem. She was sitting in his lap now, straddling it actually. She didn't do anything yet though, her nerves catching up with her, her brain starting to catch up to her actions. She started to talk herself out of it, started to just leave and save them both the awkwardness that would ensue between them if she went through with her daring pursuit of thought.

But then he raised his eyebrow at her, in that "so what?" way that had only been driving her insane lately instead of making her back off like Yue was intending it would.

With that, she steeled her nerves, set her inhibitions aside for the time being and closed the distance between them, pressing her lips against his. He tried to pull away at first, but Sakura didn't intend for him to go anywhere. He wasn't pushing her away this time. She had a point to prove, and Yue was going to let her prove it. He stopped trying to pull away from her after a while, kissing her back. This was supposed to be the end of it. She had now more than proven her point, but suddenly it wasn't about proving her point anymore. It was about want, lust, and need. Getting relief from all the pent up sexual tension that neither liked to admit was between them, at least until that night.

Sakura began to suck on his bottom lip, prompting him to open his own mouth and return her openmouthed kisses. She moaned as that delightful yet infuriating heat built up again, and Yue's wandering hands weren't helping matters. His hands were rubbing her thighs, but unlike where she might have been deterred and apprehensions returning like they usually did when Naoki's hands wandered, it was different with Yue. It didn't bother Sakura and why should it? She trusted these same hands to protect her when she needed to be, help pick her up when she had fallen, and comfort her when there was no one else around who figured out she needed to be. Sure she was _pretty sure_ she could trust Naoki in the same manner, but with Yue she just _knew_.

But then as he continued to caress her thighs his hand accidentally brushed against the most sensitive part of her, sending a literal fire through her veins and also serving to bring Sakura back to a state of awareness. She gasped and pulled away, succeeding in awkwardly falling off the sofa.

"Ouch," she muttered trying to gain her bearings and straighten herself out at the same time.

"Are you okay?"

Sakura nodded, taking the offered hand and standing herself up only to face Yue and remember exactly why she had fallen on the floor.

She snatched her hand back, he gaze falling to the ground, as her blood rushed to her cheeks.

"I… Oh shit," she muttered. It was a word she rarely used, but she couldn't find a less vulgar one to describe exactly how she felt about all this which was honestly totally confounded.

So she handled it the only way she could. Sakura fled the room. But that wouldn't help. She needed to get out the house, get some air. What in the world had possessed her to…? She stopped. First she needed to get out the house. So she slipped on her shoes and a jacket, made sure she had her star key around her neck and fled the house.

**Author's Note:**

> I love the beginning of a story. Why? Because this only took me ten minutes to write when I began this project back in… February…? Anyway I did first encounter one issue and that was the issue of how old Sakura would be in this fic. She was sixteen first, then as the story progress I thought, maybe she should be older, much older because I’d have a fit if my sixteen year old sister encountered some of the things I wrote in this. So then I said, maybe twenty-one. But that was too old for the story and some issues that came up would probably be a mute point. So in the end, I went with seventeen. Seventeen was perfect and my sister won’t be seventeen for a while so I won’t feel bad about it.
> 
> Anyway, update days are Saturday and Tuesday. And if you enjoyed or even if you didn’t, archive of our own has made it so easy to simply put your arrow right in that big box and type a quick review from your computer. So convenient.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! Comment Please!


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